The Saints have designated wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. to return from injured reserve, according to Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link).
Ginn was placed on IR in October after suffering a knee injury. Because he’s already missed eight weeks of action, Ginn is eligible to return to the active roster at any time. Now that Ginn has returned to practice, New Orleans has opened a three-week window during which it must either place him on its 53-man roster, or leave him on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
Each NFL team is allowed to bring two players back from IR, and the Saints have already done that with one player (return man Tommylee Lewis). As such, New Orleans had only one IR/return spot left, and the club was said to be deciding between Ginn and reserve offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus.
The Saints have evidently decided adding a veteran presence to their wide receiving corps is more critical than bolstering their offensive line depth. Since Ginn went down, New Orleans has been using a rotation opposite Michael Thomas, with Tre’Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood, and Austin Carr all seeing time.
Ginn, 33, inked a three-year, $11MM deal with the Saints in 2017, and posted 53 receptions for 787 yards and four touchdowns in his first season in New Orleans. In four games this season, Ginn had managed 12 catches for 135 yards and two scores.
The Michael Thomas link always goes to the defensive player as if he’s relevant