New Orleans Saints: 5 Who Must Step Up For Keenan Lewis

Oct 30, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis (28) and defensive end Brandon Deaderick (95) and cornerback Corey White (24) leave the field after the game. The Saints defeated the Panthers 28-10 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, New Orleans Saints star cornerback Keenan Lewis will be out for 4-6 weeks after requiring hip surgery yesterday, and David J. Chao of the National Football Post tweeted that he believes it to be “sports hernia related”, adding that the timetable for return for these injuries is generally 4-6 weeks.

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That means the Saints will miss Lewis for games against the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and perhaps the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles as well. There’s no point in guessing exactly when Lewis will be back, but it’s clear that he’s set to miss a few games. Out of those five teams, only the Buccaneers are not regarded as playoff contenders, but they are division rivals who aren’t completely out of the race.

Basically, losing Lewis for any of those games is a tough blow for the Saints, and losing him for all of those games would be a massive blow. If the Saints don’t have their star cornerback and one of their best players for one quarter of the season, then many players will be put under an enormous amount of pressure due to a less-than-ideal situation without Lewis.

While this injury is clearly a massive blow, they have a fighting shot at recovering from this multi-week injury if certain things happen. Let’s take a look at five players who will need to either step up or take on the “next man up” mantra for however long Lewis, who was one of the NFL’s best press corners in the 2013 season, is out.

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