The New Orleans Saints business operations readying to face their own gauntlet. Safety Julian Blackmon is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. Coach Kellen Moore confirmed the severity of Blackmon’s condition, indicating that it “will be a long one, potentially for the full season.”
He was picked up by the New Orleans Saints in training camp after Tyr Mathieu’s sudden retirement. In the team’s recent blowout loss against the Arizona Cardinals, he ground out all the snaps. His dazzling play on the field stole every heart. The injury wasn’t detected until he returned home some 12 hours after their last game. Perhaps the rush of adrenaline from such an intense game masked just how serious his injury was. Coach Moore says, “That’s the thing that adrenaline does to you.”
The catch with Blackmon’s shoulder was that the problem didn’t become obvious until he started to experience pain issues at home. The coaching staff will have to find replacements for his absence, which will leave a gaping hole in the Saints’ defense. Moore reiterated that either Jordan Howden or rookie Jonas Sanker will take over to fill Blackmon’s shoes. Howden missed the last game due to an oblique injury. This added even more pressure on Sanker, a rookie prospect still finding his footing at the professional level.
Katherine Terrell, a veteran NFL reporter and LSU alum, tweeted the effect of Blackmon’s injury. It compounded the team’s overall defensive philosophy. In her seven years covering the NFL, Terrell knows injuries like this are often momentum killers for a team.
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