Saints linebacker Will Smith suffered a knee injury during Sunday’s preseason game vs. the Texans, and he reportedly will miss the season because of it, according to Pro Football Talk.
Combine that with the long-term injuries to linebackers Victor Butler, Jonathan Vilma and Junior Galette, and that’s not a great sign for a team transitioning to a 3-4 scheme under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
It’s unclear what exactly happened to Smith, and after Sunday’s game, coach Sean Payton declined to provide an update. Those kinds of injuries, though, certainly won’t help the team as it tries move on from last season’s defense, which gave up more yards than any other team in NFL history.
In the offseason, the Saints asked Smith to take a steep paycut after he was set to count $10 million against the salary cap. He eventually took a $6 million cut on his base salary for 2013.
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