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TE Oscar Delp Gets Added to the Long List of Saints Injuries
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- TE Oscar Delp Gets Added to the Long List of Saints Injuries
From what we saw in the game against the Los Angeles Rams, the New Orleans Saints had around 3 clear injuries from that game. Just a few days later, that number has increased, including TE Oscar Delp. Delp has not had the best start to his rookie year, but with it being preseason, that was absolutely fine, and he's young. Delp was always considered a developmental/long term prospect, so again, struggles were a likely outcome, but he was still an important piece of this TE room.
Juwan Johnson is the first TE option on the Saints, with Noah Fant, who was signed this offseason, as the primary backup. That's a really good setup for the Saints, but Delp in that third spot made it even better. The Saints were also likely going to bring 4 TEs on the 53-man roster. This was due to the Saints using more TEs in the offense this season, as well as the standout training camp/preseason
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of Moliki Matavao. Sadly, Matavao also suffered an injury against the Rams, and it seems he may be out for a good amount of time.
The Matavao injury is an issue for the roster, but the Delp one makes it 10x worse. As of now, we do not know how long Delp is going to be out. It is a hamstring injury, so he could be missing some time, and as we have seen with the many hamstring injuries this offseason, that's a worry moving forward. So, there is really no reason to rush Delp back. He is already a developmental player, and the hamstring issue could become recurring. Allow him to take his time rehabbing from the injury.
This does present the issue of depth. If Delp is out for a long period of time, and we know Matavao will likely be, who does that leave behind: Johnson and Fant? Right now, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, Treyton Welch, and Cody Hardy are the other TEs. That group could use some new additions, especially if someone needs to be the third option.
Looking at some of the free agents available, Will Dissly and Zach Ertz could be some options the Saints could look at. Both players will be cheap to sign and should not expect a TE2- or more-level role. As of now, it's unclear if the players on the roster will be able to step up, so just getting that new guy in to at least see some competition would be smart.
