Devery Henderson misses practice; Saints cautious
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson was held out of practice for a second straight day Thursday and interim coach Aaron Kromer said the team will be cautious in deciding when he’ll return.
Henderson suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Sunday’s 40-32 loss to the Washington Redskins and didn’t practice Wednesday when the Saints began preparing for this week’s game with the Carolina Panthers.
Because he suffered a head injury, Henderson, who took a shot to the back of the head after catching a pass, will have to pass a series of tests and be cleared by an independent doctor before he can return.
“We have to be very cautious with Devery,” Kromer said Thursday. “Any time you have a head injury like he had, we are going to err on the side of caution and make sure that his health comes first in this situation.
“We will see as the end of the week comes, but we are going to make sure that we do the right thing for the team and for him.”
Camarillo preparing
Because Henderson will be questionable at best for Sunday’s game when the week’s final injury report is issued Friday, wide receiver Greg Camarillo is getting ready to play in a hurry.
Camarillo, who was with the Saints in the latter part of training camp last month, was signed Tuesday and joined the team for practice Wednesday.
Kromer said it helped that Camarillo, who was released on the final cuts on Aug. 31, spent some time with the Saints this summer and also worked out with quarterback Drew Brees out in San Diego.
“He is a veteran who understands coverages, understands how to get open,” Kromer said. “It’s a case of terminology that would be his holdup of how we call plays, how we do things here.
“He needed a quick refresher course when he got back because he had been gone for a week or so, but he looks like he fell right back into training camp mode when he got back.”
Injury report
In addition to Henderson, defensive end Turk McBride (ankle) and cornerback Johnny Patrick (thigh) did not work Thursday.
Strongside linebacker Scott Shanle (knee) was again limited, while cornerback Jabari Greer (groin) had full participation for the second straight day.
For the Panthers, linebacker Kenny Onatolu (not-injury-related) missed practice again Thursday along with defensive end Greg Hardy (illness).
Wide receiver Steve Smith (knee) and guard Mike Pollak (shoulder) were limited.
Greer getting ready
Kromer is looking forward to having Greer back even though he hasn’t played in a game after missing the entire preseason following sports hernia surgery on Aug. 2.
Greer returned to practice on a limited basis last week, but wasn’t ready to play in the opener against Washington. He was replaced by Patrick, who left the game in the second quarter with his thigh injury.
“(It will) definitely help,” Kromer said of having Greer available Sunday. “He’s going to have to shake off some rust. That first game back is always something you have to fight through because game conditioning and practice conditioning are two different things. It definitely is going to give a boost to our defense.”
Hall of Fame induction
Tickets are still available for the 24th annual Saints Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon, which is set for at noon Sept. 21 in the Bienville Room of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Saints Owner/Chairman of the Board Tom Benson and former Pro Bowl running back Deuce McAllister will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame. Longtime broadcaster and Saints radio play-by-play man Jim Henderson will receive the Joe Gemelli Fleur De Lis award.
Tickets are available for $750 per table of ten or $75 per person and can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com.