Good news, everyone! There’s nothing official yet, but New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton indicated Thursday that the team is anticipating the return of injured wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. Per Nick Underhill of the Advocate, Payton explained that part of their willingness to release Brandon Marshall was the expectation within the building that Ginn will be ready to practice soon:
Payton said on releasing Marshall "we feel like Ted is close to coming back." Noted that Marshall could still come back.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) December 13, 2018
However, Ginn is still listed on the Saints’ injured reserve, and has not yet been designated to return. Per NFL rules, he must practice for two weeks before being allowed to play in a game, so the soonest Ginn could rep the black and gold would be the regular season finale against the Carolina Panthers, his old team. It’s more likely that Ginn doesn’t reappear until the playoffs tournament has begun, with him not yet participating in regular practices.
It’s also not guaranteed that Ginn comes back as his old self. He went on injured reserve after undergoing an arthroscopic knee procedure to deal with swelling, and he’ll be 34 next April. There’s a real chance that he returns to the starting lineup without offering much upside than players already in place like Keith Kirkwood and Tre’Quan Smith, or Austin Carr. But the Saints have to think that Ginn’s 2017 success was no fluke, and he has enough left in the tank to reach another Super Bowl