The Saints opted not to keep safety Jairus Byrd on the physically unable to perform list into the regular season, which was a pretty good sign that Byrd would be healthy enough to play before the seventh week of the season.
It probably wasn’t because Byrd is ready to play against the Cardinals on Arizona on Sunday, however. Ed Werder of ESPN reports that Byrd is not expected to play until the second or third week of the season because of the ongoing knee swelling he’s been dealing with this summer. Byrd had surgery to repair a torn meniscus last season, causing him to miss all but four games during his first season in New Orleans.
Given Byrd’s injury history since arriving in New Orleans -- he also had back surgery in 2014 -- you’d imagine that the Saints will proceed with an overabundance of caution once Byrd does practice for the first time since taking part in the team’s offseason minicamp. The Saints practice on Wednesday and need to release an injury report, which should provide more information about where Byrd stands at the moment.
Rafael Bush will likely get the start next to Kenny Vaccaro on Sunday and Jamarca Sanford is the only other safety on the 53-man roster.
