Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas don’t appear ready to help the Saints running game, but New Orleans’ pass defense may get a big boost this week.
Starting cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter both returned to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday. Greer is arguably one of the best cornerbacks in football and Porter is not far behind, so the Saints would miss them dearly against the Steelers. Porter hasn’t played since Week Four because of a sprained MCL.
“I’m encouraged with both Tracy and Jabari in their rehab,” coach Sean Payton said Thursday via the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
First-round pick Patrick Robinson has not stepped up and Randall Gay is out for the year, but the Saints secondary hasn’t been fully exploited because they’ve faced only one above average passing attack all season.
Matt Ryan threw for 228 yards with two touchdowns on 30 attempts against them in Week Three.
