Saints Roster Movement: New RB in Town, Wood is Back

A number of roster moves were made by the Saints Wednesday to replenish the running back room and return the Saints long snapper.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New Orleans Saints long snapper Zach Wood (49) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The New Orleans Saints made three roster moves Wednesday in advance of Sunday's game in New Jersey against the Giants. The Saints will match up against the New York Football Giants at Noon on Sunday in a game that can be seen on Fox.

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Long snapper Zach Wood is one step closer to playing this weekend. After spending four of the first five games on the injured reserve with a calf injury, the veteran returned to the practice field Wednesday and was officially listed as Designated to Return.

Designated to Return List

NFL teams can only designate eight players within a season to return from IR. So far they've used four of those slots:

• Linebacker Jaylan Ford and safety Lorenzo Styles Jr have already been moved to the active roster after being activated from the IR.
• Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson has been on the designated to return portion of the injured reserve list since the season began with an aggravated hamstring injury. The Saints first-round pick is not expected to be activated for at least another week.
• The fourth, Wood, is expected to be ready for Sunday, returning to practice on Wednesday.

RB and Familiar WR added to Practice Squad for Saints

Wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr is back on the practice squad. The Notre Dame grad has yo-yoed back and forth from practice squad to active roster to the waiver wire this season. Austin has spent the past three seasons in New Orleans, appearing in 20-games, catching 25-passes for 298-yards, and a touchdown. This year, the former Jaguar has played in four Saints contests grabbing one pass for a 7-yard gain.

Aug 22, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter (27) scores on a 12-yard touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Running back Jarquez Hunter is now on the practice squad as well. The Saints claimed him from Miami's practice squad. After a college career at Auburn, Hunter was drafted in the 4th-round by the Rams in 2025. He played in five regular season games and a postseason contest as a rookie. After training camp this year, the Dolphins acquired Hunter from the Rams where he spent five weeks on their practice squad.

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