Week 4 of the NFL regular season is nearly in the books, meaning a couple of New Orleans Saints players are now eligible to return from injured reserve — though we may not see them activated just yet. They still must pass a physical and successfully return to practice before they’ll be able to suit up for games. The NFL tweaked injured reserve rules again this offseason, making it so that now players must sit out at least four weeks before being allowed to return to the active roster (and only eight players may return during the season).
But one player who is optimistic for a quick return is defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, who exited the team’s final preseason game with an apparent lower leg injury. Roach went on the reserve list at the same time as rookie left tackle Trevor Penning, who is out until November with turf toe, but his injury has been said to be less serious and he may return soon. If so, the soonest Roach could get back on the field would be Week 5’s home game with the Seattle Seahawks.
