That’s disheartening. Jarvis Landry went down with an ankle injury this week, and it’s going to end his season — the New Orleans Saints put the veteran slot receiver on injured reserve ahead of their Week 16 game with his old Cleveland Browns team. His first season with his hometown team totaled 25 receptions for 272 yards and a single touchdown through 9 games, all marks the lowest of his pro career. The nature of his ankle injury is unclear, so he could hypothetically return in time for the playoffs, but come on — we’re talking about the playoffs?
It’s been a disappointing homecoming for Landry. He exploded onto the scene in Week 1 with 7 receptions for 114 yards in a fourth-quarter comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, but he couldn’t keep up the pace while dealing with injury. When he did return to the lineup, Landry struggled with contested catch opportunities and didn’t look the part of a reliable possession receiver. It’s a shame things didn’t work out differently.
Now Landry is headed back to free agency a year older and another year removed from his last productive season in the NFL. There should still be suitors for his services in the spring, but this one-year prove-it deal with the Saints didn’t pan out as either side expected. We’ll see how things work out for him.
With Landry out of action and Chris Olave down this week due to an injury of his own, the available Saints wide receivers on Saturday include Rashid Shaheed, Marquez Callaway, and Tre’Quan Smith on the 53-man roster with Kevin White and Keith Kirkwood on the practice squad. Kirk Merritt’s agent announced that he was signed from the Saints practice squad to their 53-man roster on Thursday, likely as a corresponding move to Landry’s season ending.
