The New Orleans Saints perplexed a lot of fans when they selected Payton Turner in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. That confusion wasn’t helped by a two-week absence in training camp while he recovered from a minor injury, limiting fans’ exposure to the highest-drafted rookie in 2021. Turner was held out of both Saints preseason games and, after returning to full participation in practice, their Week 1 opener.
With five players available and four spots to fill, the coaches elected to give Turner another week of practice to get back up to speed before sending him into a game.