The New Orleans Saints won their first game of the season with a 26-14 win over the New York Giants. It's a huge win for the Saints and new head coach Kellen Moore. Even if the Saints can't consistently string wins together, losses can eat away at a team.
Sitting at 1-4, the Saints are well behind the 4-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South, but things are looking up for New Orleans as they prepare to welcome the red-hot New England Patriots.
As Luke Johnson of nola.com reports, the Saints are getting some great news on an injured star. Chase Young, who signed a deal this offseason to return to New Orleans, is practicing ahead of Week 6 for the first time since his preseason calf injury.
Saints get welcome news as Chase Young returns to practice after missing the first five weeks of the season
"After missing the first five weeks of the season with a calf injury," Johnson writes, "New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young practiced Wednesday. Young was a late arrival at Saints practice on Wednesday, entering roughly midway through the period of practice open to the media."
This report from Johnson is a very encouraging sign for the Saints. Having their star edge rusher come back would be a nice boost for the Saints, and having his return come right after their first win will feel like even more positive momentum.
Young signed a big three-year, $51 million contract with New Orleans this past offseason to stick with the team through the 2027 NFL season.
The 26-year-old defensive lineman hasn't played for the Saints yet this season, but this report indicates that he's getting closer to a return to the field.
He's played with three teams in his NFL career thus far, but after spending 2024 with the Saints, playing in all 17 games, Young decided to come back and help New Orleans' defense.
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Last year, Young had 5.5 sacks with 31 combined tackles, along with eight tackles for loss and three passes defended. Most impressively, Young had 21 quarterback hits, by far the most of his NFL career.
The former Pro Bowl lineman hasn't been able to replicate his 2020 rookie season, though his 2024 season in New Orleans was a step in the right direction.
After some injury-riddled seasons with the Washington Commanders, he was dealt to the San Francisco 49ers to close out the 2023 NFL season. He had a sack as the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2024, Young joined the Saints, and he had a strong season. He played 742 defensive snaps, or 63 percent of the total snaps. It was the second-most time he's played in a season in his career, and with a solid season behind him, there was a lot of optimism for 2025.
But the preseason calf injury has kept him out for the first five weeks of the season. Fortunately, he's now practicing and could make his 2025 season debut soon. It's good news for the Saints, even more so with it coming off the team's first win since early December of 2024.
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