At least one New Orleans Saints player is starting training camp on an injury list. Rookie wide receiver Bub Means was designated to the non-football injury on Tuesday, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and the Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Luke Johnson. Underhill added that Means’ injury “isn’t considered to be serious” and he’s expected to be cleared when the team undergoes its annual conditioning test on July 23. The first real day of practice is July 24.
Means was drafted in the fifth round this year out of Pittsburgh, at No. 170 overall. He’s an exciting talent with a lot of personality so fans were quick to gravitate to him during the spring. But what is the NFI list? How is it different from the physically unable to perform list (PUP) or injured reserve?
It’s important to not overreact to this. Means landing on NFI when rookies reported for training camp on Tuesday is nothing unusual. Any players who suffered an injury working out during the offseason or in an off-field accident would also start out here. Once they can pass a conditioning test they’ll be activated and cleared to practice. In the meantime, though, they aren’t paid a regular salary. But that usually only matters if an injury persists into the season in September. It doesn’t sound like that’s likely for Means.
Remember, Rashid Shaheed was placed on the NFI list his first day at training camp back in 2022, and he wasn’t activated until Aug. 8. Things have worked out well for him, and Means seems to be in a much better situation than he was coming off a serious knee injury his rookie year. We’ll keep an eye out for Means’ progress but he has a full week to heal up and get the green light to hit the practice field. Stay tuned.
