New Orleans Saints fans will have to wait a while to see No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson debut due to a hamstring injury, and the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert is none too pleased.
The young WR is expected to miss in the range of two months, according to reports, as he works back from a hamstring injury suffered during last week's joint practice against the Jaguars.
“Well, why did we draft him? I mean, come on. He was damaged goods and he’s still damaged goods," Hebert told Mike Detillier on WWL Radio's SportsTalk, "when he gets tackled one time out of bounds and it’s like, oh, it’s a freakish-type tackle, I don’t know."
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The injury is the latest in a string of hamstring issues for Tyson. He missed multiple games in his final collegiate season with hamstring issues, as well as a majority of the draft process. The Saints opted to hold him out of OTAs and minicamp as he "ramped up" physically, and he did participate in the first 11 practices of camp without issue prior to the injury. Head coach Kellen Moore indicated that the injury was not a re-aggravation of any previous issues.
Tyson has looked excellent when on the field and had been developing a strong rapport with QB Tyler Shough. Hebert compared him to a Lamborghini, which is undeniably fun to drive but "when it's in the shop, it's in the shop." Tyson is definitely in the shop right now, and he will be for what looks like the first month of his rookie season.
"He’s hell when he’s well. Is he the Marcus Davenport of offense now that you’ve got all this investment," Hebert continued. "He’s a stud, but he’s gotta play. … You’ve gotta be available to be held accountable and where he was drafted, we need him to contribute now. We’re not developing nothing. So that’s very discouraging. That is disheartening, discouraging.”
The injury will draw into focus the depth of the WR room, which will be headlined for the time being by Chris Olave, whom the Saints just inked to a major contract extension. They'll also feature Devaughn Vele, whom they traded for at the end of last season and came on strong down the stretch, but beyond that there are a lot of unproven commodities. Two other rookies, Bryce Lance and Barion Brown, have shown well in their rookie camps, and Tyson's absence should create opportunity for players like Bub Means, Kevin Austin Jr. and Trey Palmer to step into a bigger role.
The need for Olave to remain healthy and available is bigger than ever. Tyson's injury is also the latest in a string of disappointing camp injuries, which includes torn ACLs for DT Bryan Bresee and backup guard Dillon Radunz, as well as a hamstring injury for DE Cam Jordan that could also linger into the regular season.
“A lot of NFL teams might have their hands tied behind their back if all of a sudden their No. 3 has to be their No. 1," Hebert continued. "But yea … you’d have to look at the roster, maybe who is out there.”
