How Taliese Fuaga's potential absence could impact Week 2

Taliese Fuaga was downgraded on the New Orleans Saints injury report. The rookie left tackle was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice due to a back injury, which led to him missing practice entirely on Thursday. Fuaga didn’t miss a snap while playing very well in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers so it’s tough to say how serious this injury may be.

It’s too soon to project whether or not Fuaga will miss the Saints’ contest with the Dallas Cowboys, but it isn’t too soon to look at the implications of his absence.

Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are two really good defensive ends. One of them will be in front of the left tackle. Running Trevor Penning and Landon Young out there to stop this duo doesn’t inspire confidence.

Lawrence is a strong run defender who offers a pass-rush element. That isn’t the prototype that gets the discussions flowing, but it certainly can disrupt a game. Meanwhile, Parsons is on the short list of the best pure pass rushers and most dynamic defenders in the NFL.

Fuaga dealt with back tightness in the preseason. We viewed how important his presence was at that time and this is the type of game we were worried about. This was before he turned offseason hype into a strong debut. Even in the preseason, it was clear he would be a valuable asset on the left side of the offensive line. Stay tuned for Friday’s final injury report and and update on his status for this Cowboys game.