July 23, 2026, 9:59 p.m. CT
We’re only days away from the start of the New Orleans Saints‘ 2026 training camp, but some players are working their way back from injuries that derailed their 2025 seasons. Here’s a look at each of the Saints players who returned after ending last season on injured reserve.
WR Bub Means
Means was dealt a bad hand with a bad ankle injury in the preseason, which put him out of action for the rest of the season. He’s been active in workouts with Tyler Shough during the spring and offers a height-weight-speed combination not many other guys on the roster can boast at 6-foot-1, 212 pounds with 4.4 speed. But he’s facing a ton of competition to make the squad in September.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk
Polk was acquired in a preseason trade with the New England Patriots, but he spent the 2025 season recovering from a shoulder injury suffered at Patriots training camp. He’s worked hard to recover and build a rapport with his new quarterback Tyler Shough, and it’s notable that he was one of several wideouts participating in the Drew Brees-led workouts in San Diego. Maybe a fresh start is just what he needed.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.CB Martin Emerson Jr.
While he didn’t technically play for the Saints last year, Emerson did miss the 2025 season recovering from Achilles surgery after going down early in Cleveland Browns training camp. And now he’s healthy and taking reps whenever the Saints have been on the field. He could push Quincy Riley for snaps in the starting lineup across from Kool-Aid McKinstry.
S Julian Blackmon
Blackmon started at safety in Week 1 last year and stayed on the field for all 66 defensive snaps, plus three reps on special teams, but he noticed some discomfort after the game and was diagnosed with a torn labrum. He’s dealt with labrum injuries before but this one required season-ending surgery. He’s back in the starting lineup now that he’s healthy.
DT Vernon Broughton
Broughton was a healthy scratch in the season opener but only got on the field for 24 snaps before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. It was a really tough break for a rookie third-round pick. The Saints have high hopes for him in Brandon Staley’s defense and he expects to see a larger role in Year 2, but he must prove this injury is behind him.
WR Trey Palmer
Palmer was claimed off of waivers last August after a solid couple of years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he never appeared in a game for the Saints while dealing with a hamstring issue. He suffered an ankle injury later in the season and went on injured reserve Oct. 4. Now he’s competing for a roster spot at a position where the Saints have gotten much deeper.
C Erik McCoy
Injuries have been a major problem for McCoy in recent years, limiting him to just seven games in each of the last two seasons. This time it was a biceps injury suffered in mid-October that cost him the rest of the 2025 season. If there’s a consolation, it’s that this injury was unrelated to the groin surgery and elbow issue that sidelined him for most of 2024.
RB Kendre Miller
Injuries have been the main concern for Miller throughout his Saints career, but tearing his ACL in October has made for his biggest challenge yet. When healthy, he’s obviously the most athletic and dynamic rusher the Saints have had at running back. The problem is those healthy games have been too few and far between. With Travis Etienne Jr. headlining the depth chart and Alvin Kamara returning for one more year, there may not be room for him on the 53-man roster.
RB Devin Neal
Neal looked like a solid role player for the Saints on third down, holding up well in pass protection and catching the passes that came his way. But a hamstring injury he suffered in mid-December cut his rookie year short. With Etienne and Kamara on top of the depth chart, he must prove he’s a better option than guys like Miller, Audric Estime, Ty Chandler and CJ Donaldson.
WR Devaughn Vele
Vele was one of Tyler Shough’s favorite targets after taking over as the starting quarterback, catching 20 of 28 targets for 254 yards and 15 first down conversions (and a touchdown). Then a mid-December shoulder injury shut him down. While the team added three draft picks at wide receiver, including first rounder Jordyn Tyson, Vele still figures to have a critical role in the passing game as a big target over the middle.
