NEW ORLEANS — When it rains, it pours. The bad luck that has essentially defined the 2021 New Orleans Saints season just continues to persist.
ESPN's Field Yates reported on Monday afternoon that All-Pro defensive end Cam Jordan has been placed on the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list, after a positive test result.
Jordan is vaccinated, so all he would need is two negative tests to ensure his return.
Additionally, Yates reported that wide receiver Deonte Harris has been suspended three games by the NFL for violating the league's conduct policy. The suspension stems from an offseason DUI arrest in Maryland this past July.
Losing both players is a major blow to the team.
While Jordan has had a slower season by his standards, he's still considered one of the premier pass rushers in the league. Jordan is a former All-Pro with four sacks so far in 2021. He's totaled 98.5 total sacks so far throughout his 11-year NFL career.
As big a loss as Jordan would undoubtedly be, losing Deonte Harris may be even more impactful given just how much the Saints have struggled offensively this season. Harris has 31 catches for 523 yards and three touchdowns this season. That stat line, as astonishingly pedestrian as it may look, makes him the team's current leading receiver- a statement that should illustrate the current state of flux the Saints offense is in at the moment.
Losing Harris once again means the team loses an incredibly integral part of an offense that really can't afford to lose anything else.
The Saints currently sit at 5-7, third in the NFC South amidst the worst losing streak they've ever faced in the 15 years under the tutelage of Sean Payton. Their week 14 opponents, the New York Jets, have fared even worse, sitting at a rather atrocious 3-9 record through 12 games.
However, expectations for the Saints this season have been far higher than that of the Jets, indicating just the level of struggle and poor luck the Saints have endured this season.