Jamar

Nesbit

Stinchcomb ruptured his patellar tendon and missed all of last season. Nesbit has started 55 career games but mostly at guard.

The suspension begins immediately, so Nesbit will be eligible to rejoin the team on October 20. With Jammal Brown leaving Week 3 with a groin injury, the Saints may be down two starters on the offensive line.

Goodwin was injured when backup TE David Thomas rolled onto his knee on a Mike Bell run. He couldn’t walk off of the field under his own power and was replaced by Jamar Nesbit.

Nesbit, 31, has turned his career around under Sean Payton and started 32 consecutive games at left guard. He’s a big-bodied mauler at 6'4/330.

The NFL considers players fully responsible for what is in their bodies, so Nesbit went after StarCaps for his lost salary instead. Nesbit’s leftover pills were reportedly tested and found to include Bumetanide (the same substance for which Deuce McAllister and others have tested positive), which was not listed as an ingredient. It sounds like Nesbit may have a case, but it’s unlikely to affect the suspensions of other players.

The 6'4/330-pound Nesbit should provide a lift in the running game. A special teamer, Copper could be back later if injuries strike in New Orleans.

Nesbit isn’t a true difference maker, but New Orleans can use him to power the weak side of its line. His return bodes well for Deuce McAllister.

This is a promising development for New Orleans, as Nicks has a ton of upside in the run game. At 6'5/341 he is built to be a mauler. The Saints stole Nicks in the fifth round after an off-field incident dropped his draft stock.

Though he started 64 straight games for the Saints from 2004-2007, Nesbit lost his starting job to Carl Nicks when he was suspended four games in the StarCaps net. Now 33, he’ll be limited to a reserve role with his next team.

Patten was left without an offensive role after Lance Moore emerged as a far superior option as No. 2 receiver. Young and Simoneau are aging reserves whose seasons ended early due to injury.