Saints injury report: 5 biggest roster questions heading into Week 4

You don't want to limp your way into a battle, but that's what the New Orleans Saints (2-1) will do Sunday when they meet their blood rival Falcons (1-2) in Atlanta this Sunday.

One starter, center Erik McCoy (groin) is definitely out after having surgery on Wednesday and will miss six to eight weeks.

The status of five other injured players will weigh heavily on whether the Saints can stay above .500 before hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football on Oct. 7.

Those are starting middle linebacker Demario Davis (hamstring), starting right guard Cesar Ruiz (ankle), backup guard Landon Young (foot), starting running back Alvin Kamara (hip pointer, ribs) and TE-RB-QB Taysom Hill (chest), who also plays on special teams.

5. Demario Davis

A major reason why the Saints have had one of the better defenses in the NFL the last several seasons is Davis, a 13-year veteran who has been in New Orleans since 2018. He made the Pro Bowl the last two seasons along with All-Pro accolades over the last five. He missed all of the practices on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Dennis Allen confirmed he would be out of the lineup this week.

"Obviously, it's unfortunate we don't have the captain," strong side starting linebacker Willie Gay Jr. said. "Pete (Werner) slides over to the Mike (middle) position. I step in for Pete."

If weak-side linebacker Pete Werner does move to the middle with Gay moving from strong-side to weak-side, the opening will be on the strong side. A possible replacement there could be middle linebacker D'Marco Jackson. But Jackson was limited on Wednesday and Thursday at practice with a calf injury. A possible fill-in is second-year linebacker Anfernee Orji.

4. Cesar Ruiz

The Saints' five-year veteran right guard left the Eagles game Sunday with an ankle injury. He returned, but he was not the same. He practiced on a limited basis Thursday after missing all of Wednesday's practice. He was also confirmed out for this week, leaving right guard and center open with McCoy out. During the Eagles game, starting left guard Lucas Patrick moved to center with backup right tackle Oli Udoh going to left guard. That could happen again Sunday with backup guard/tackle Landon Young starting at right guard for Ruiz.

Or, just-activated guard/center Shane Lemieux, a fifth-round pick of the Giants in 2020 who came to the Saints this season as a backup, could start at center. Patrick would go back to left guard with Young at right guard.

"Our guys came to work today with a purpose," quarterback Derek Carr said of the reshuffling offensive line. "The intensity, the mindset and the realization of the situation was important to our guys. And it was nice to see."

3. Landon Young

The problem with the above scenarios is that Landon Young, a sixth-round pick in 2021 by New Orleans out of Kentucky, is nursing a foot injury that kept him out of all but one play against Philadelphia. He practiced Wednesday and Thursday but on a limited basis. He does have some starting experience. In 41 games as a Saint, he opened games seven times.

2. Alvin Kamara

A major reason the Saints started off at 2-0 was the 29-year-old Kamara looking like he was 22 in gaining 198 yards rushing with a 5.6-yard average and catching five passes for 105 yards for a 21-yard average with a 57-yard touchdown at Dallas.

But he likely felt all of his 29 on Monday and Tuesday with a hip pointer and sore ribs. He returned to practice on Thursday but was limited. How he feels and thus plays Sunday could be the difference in the game.

1. Taysom Hill

The wild card for New Orleans Sunday could be Toy Wonder Taysom Hill, who can play Wildcat quarterback, running back, tight end and kick returner in addition to covering kicks. He missed the Eagles game Sunday with a chest injury suffered against Dallas, but he returned to practice fully on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hill rushed eight times for 53 yards with bursts of 12 and nine yards in his first two games and caught a pair of passes. That's not great, but Hill is a Falcons' killer. In 14 games against the Saints' rival since 2017 when he came to New Orleans, the Saints are 10-4 and Hill has rushed 62 times for 438 yards with four touchdowns while catching 10 passes for 100 yards with a touchdown.

And if the Saints need a little jolt at quarterback, which tends to happen in the post-Brees era, Hill is 57-of-75 passing against the Falcons for 702 yards, four touchdowns, a .760 completion percentage and a 122.2 passer rating.