Tyrann Mathieu exited Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons with a groin injury, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, adding to his list of ailments. The New Orleans Saints safety has already been limited in games with a heel issue, and he also dealt with a calf injury earlier this season.
But this groin injury could be the most serious of the bunch. Starting center Erik McCoy is out six to eight weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery for a similar injury. Hopefully it isn’t as dire aa situation. It’s a good sign that Mathieu observed the rest of the Falcons game from the bench with his teammates rather than moving to the locker room for treatment and further evaluation.
We’ll have to wait and see whether he misses time because of it. Either way, injuries are stacking up for Mathieu. The Saints have built their defense around several older players — Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, and Mathieu himself — and each of them are either managing an injury or seeing a reduced role due to performance.
So younger teammates need to step up. J.T. Gray was pushed into Sunday’s game after Mathieu left, but he’s better-versed on special teams than defense, and it’s unlikely that’s the long-term goal for replacing Mathieu. Will Harris and Jordan Howden remain on the 53-man roster while Johnathan Abram, Ugo Amadi, and Millard Bradford are available on the practice squad. Whether any of them are called up for a bigger role is something to monitor in the days ahead.
