NEW ORLEANS — The Saints will have to replace a starting safety for the second time in seven weeks.
Safety Julian Blackmon, who was signed in July to replace the retired Tyrann Mathieu, is likely done for the season with a shoulder injury, according to Saints coach Kellen Moore. Moore did not confirm on Monday whether the injury was the same one Blackmon had last season with the Indianapolis Colts (torn right labrum), but said it looks like a season-long issue.
Blackmon’s injury means the Saints will be scrambling to find another replacement — either turning to one of the team’s young players on the roster or looking outside. That could mean an opportunity for third-year player Jordan Howden, who is currently limited with an oblique injury, or rookie third-round pick Jonas Sanker. They also have defensive back Ugo Amadi on the roster and Terrell Burgess on the practice squad.
Moore seemed to indicate a replacement for Blackmon would likely come from a rostered player, and by Wednesday, the Saints will already be looking toward their Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox).
“We’ve invested in a lot of those guys, [they] had a ton of reps and so we feel like we’re not bringing someone in that isn’t familiar with this thing. We got a number of guys who can go play that,” Moore said. “That’s a conversation that we’ll have to have tomorrow just to narrow our focus and put someone in a position or a combination of a couple guys put ’em in a position to get ready for Sunday.”
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Moore also said it was more important to find a permanent replacement than add a fill-in based specifically on the Saints’ opponent.
“Certainly there’s times where it becomes relevant [to prep] for the opponent, but Julian being gone for essentially for the year, we’ve got to get these guys ready to go and create some continuity,” Moore said.
Losing Blackmon is a tough blow for the Saints, who have been mostly injury free this summer after a challenging 2024 season.
Blackmon and newcomer Justin Reid, who was signed in March, had quickly become one of the top pairs on the team despite their limited time working together. Saints defensive passing game coordinator Terry Joseph was asked about their progress just days before Sunday’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, and raved about the duo.
“You kind of have a pretty good combination of guys who have variety in their games. They can do different things,” Joseph said. “They can cover, they can play in a box, they can play in the post. And so now they’ve taken it almost to another level where they kind of can switch it up on different calls and so they kind of have fun with it, but I think they vibe really, really well and that’s probably helped us out the most.”
The combination of Reid and Blackmon meshed well in the team’s 20-13 opening loss, with Blackmon almost coming up with an interception in two situations.
“Defensively, I feel like we held strong, especially towards the end of the game in those must-win situations, but throughout the middle part of the game, I thought we lost too much. On third down, I think we needed to get off the field. It starts with myself,” Joseph said.
Blackmon played every snap in the game, and when the Saints walked off the field, the only injury concerns appeared to be wide receiver Chris Olave, who took a hard hit to the chest, and offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, who didn’t finish the game
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“I think Kellen said in the locker room: The only thing that this game says is that we’re not going to be undefeated, which, it is what it is. But we got to keep moving. We got another week. Thankfully, I don’t think anybody’s injured,” Saints running back Alvin Kamara said.
But Blackmon, who played through a torn right labrum last season while with the Colts, apparently felt something was amiss when he went home. Moore said that can happen to players when the game adrenaline wears off.
“There’s a lot of juice and energy and games, and you make big-time plays and everyone’s sore after a football game,” Moore said. “That’s just what happens when you’re out there, and sometimes it takes a little bit of time to realize, you know, what’s soreness and what’s an injury, and unfortunately this is the way it went down for Julian.”
If the Saints turn to Sanker, it will be because of his versatility and impressive preseason. He led the team with 15 total tackles in the preseason, and also had an interception at the end of the second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that ended a chance of a comeback. The game ended in a 17-17 tie since there is no overtime in the preseason.
Sanker, who praised both Blackmon and Reid as mentors in training camp, said at the time that he felt prepared for the next level thanks to his time at Virginia, where he was a team captain last season and had a 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Boston College.
“Being able to play a bunch of different stuff in college gave me the tools to be able to go wherever they put me,” Sanker said in early August. “Whether that’s playing high safety now, maybe, who knows? In two weeks, maybe I’m playing a different position, being ready for that. So being ready for anything just gives you the ability to be thrown in wherever.”
