Honestly, looking at the new orleans saints injured list right now feels less like reading a football roster and more like skimming a medical textbook. It’s been a rough go. The 2025-2026 season just wrapped up its regular schedule, and while there’s a lot of talk about the future under Tyler Shough, the sheer number of guys in the tub or on the training table is staggering.
You’ve got the heavy hitters like Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave dealing with stuff that ranges from the "standard" football grind to genuinely scary medical scares. It's not just that they're missing games. It's the way these injuries are stacking up, essentially gutting the depth chart at the worst possible moments.
The Chris Olave Situation Is More Than Just a Game
The biggest shocker to hit the wire recently was Chris Olave. We’re used to hearing about hamstrings or concussions—and Olave has certainly had his share of the latter—but a blood clot in the lung? That’s different.
Basically, it was caught early in late December/early January, which is the only silver lining here. He was hospitalized briefly and missed the Week 18 finale against the Falcons. The good news? Reports indicate he’s expected to make a full recovery and be ready for offseason workouts in April.
But it makes you think. Olave has been the focal point of this offense, especially with the transition at quarterback. Seeing him sidelined by something so non-football related reminds you how fragile the whole "Super Bowl window" thing really is.
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Alvin Kamara and the Toll of 2025
Then there’s Alvin Kamara. He’s been the engine of this team for what feels like forever. Towards the end of the season, his status on the new orleans saints injured list became a permanent fixture.
- Injury Type: Knee and Ankle.
- Status: Out for the final stretch of the season.
- Impact: Without Kamara, the run game lost its identity.
He didn't just miss a week or two. He was ruled out for the final four games of the year. When your star back is dealing with both a knee and an ankle issue at the same time, you're not just worried about the next game; you're worried about the mileage. He’s been a warrior, but the body eventually talks back.
The Defensive Front Is Basically a MASH Unit
If you looked at the defensive tackle rotation toward the end of the year, you probably didn't recognize half the names. Bryan Bresee and Nathan Shepherd both ended the season on the wrong side of the active roster.
Bresee, who the Saints have huge hopes for, was dealing with a nagging knee injury. He tried to go, but by Week 18, he was a "DNP" (Did Not Participate). Shepherd was in the same boat with an ankle/knee combo. It’s hard to stop the run when your two primary interior anchors are watching from the sidelines in hoodies.
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Michael Davis (shoulder) and several tight ends like Jack Stoll and Zaire Mitchell-Paden also landed on IR (Injured Reserve) right as the season was curdling. It’s like a domino effect. One guy goes down, the next guy overplays his snaps to compensate, and then he goes down.
Why the Quarterback Room Changed Everything
We can't talk about the new orleans saints injured list without mentioning the "retirement" of Derek Carr. Now, officially, he retired. But let’s be real—that shoulder injury from earlier in 2025 played a massive role.
The Saints basically moved on to Tyler Shough, the second-round pick from Louisville, who actually played pretty well. Shough had his own hip issues late in the year, but he managed to play through them. Spencer Rattler, on the other hand, was hampered by a finger injury on his throwing hand that kept him limited when the team might have actually wanted to see more of him.
What This Means for the 2026 Offseason
The Saints finished 6-11. It’s not what anyone wanted, but the "cautious approach" the coaching staff took in December tells a story. They knew the playoffs were out of reach, so they started throwing guys on IR early.
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- Surgery Season: Expect a lot of "clean-up" procedures in the next three weeks for guys like Cesar Ruiz (ankle) and Demario Davis (calf).
- Roster Rebuild: With so many guys ending the year hurt, the Saints are going to have to look hard at their training and conditioning staff. You can't have 14 players on the injury report in Week 18 every year and expect to compete.
- The Olave Watch: Monitoring Chris Olave’s recovery from the blood clot is the number one priority. If he’s cleared for contact by April, the offense has a chance. If not, they’re looking at a massive hole at WR1.
Honestly, the best thing for the Saints right now is the fact that the season is over. They need the rest. They need the rehab. Most importantly, they need to figure out how to keep their core players on the field for more than ten games at a time.
Moving forward, the focus shifts to the 2026 NFL Draft and free agency. The front office has to decide if these injuries were just bad luck or a sign that the roster is simply getting too old to sustain an 18-week grind. Either way, the training room in Metairie is going to be a very busy place this spring.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the official transaction wire for "Reserve/Future" contract signings. These often indicate which injured veterans the team expects to replace. Also, watch for the medical clearance updates on Chris Olave specifically around mid-February; that will be the first real indicator of how the 2026 offense will be shaped.