Saints first-round pick Jordyn Tyson is officially eligible to begin practicing as early as Week 5, but that's unlikely to be the case.
The young WR is still expected to be multiple weeks away, according to a report from ESPN, as he works back from a hamstring injury suffered during a joint practice against the Jaguars on Aug. 13. The Saints drafted Tyson at No. 8 overall despite lingering injury concerns.
“He’s doing great," Saints coach Kellen Moore said of Tyson this past week. "Obviously from a football side of it he’s trying to gather as much information through all the meetings, you know, he’s still, obviously, with the trainers, going through his rehab process, so he’s still focused on that and we’ll just see how it progresses.”
Moore also indicated earlier in the week that a Week 5 return was unlikely, though he declined to place any specific timeline on the injury. There have been no reported setbacks. Tyson was expected to miss two months, per initial reports, with the injury. He has been seen around the team regularly and in recent weeks he could be spotted getting in progressive non-football work off to the side as he works through his rehab. Tyson was placed on IR prior to the start of the regular season and designated to return. Once he does return to practice the team will have a 21-day window before he is required to be added to the active roster.
There are several other players who could also potentially return to practice this week, including LB Jaylan Ford and rookie DB Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Moore has said that the potential return location won't factor into the decision for Tyson. The timeline does appear notable. The Saints have one more home game in Week 5 before a two-game road trip that includes a matchup with the New York Giants, followed by an international trip to Paris for a game against the Steelers. Bringing a player back for his first week of practices in an unfamiliar environment would be, if nothing else, a significant logistical question.
If the Saints opted to play it safe, they could target the Week 9 game against the Browns, which would come following the team's scheduled bye week.
Whenever Tyson does return he'll be incorporated into a Saints passing offense that's producing at a high level despite the 1-2 start to the season. QB Tyler Shough entered Week 4 ranked second in the NFL in passing yards (917) and third in passing TDs (8). Chris Olave's 27 catches for 375 yards and a touchdown has him on pace to blow away all of his career highs, which he set last season.
