The New Orleans Saints will return from their bye week in Week 9 with an opportunity to get back on the right foot against a Cleveland Browns team starting their backup quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. The Saints have a 2-5 record to this point, and yet, with no team really taking control of the NFC South, they could still conceivably win their division.

Getting healthy would obviously make a huge difference for New Orleans, and its week off seems to have benefited a handful of key players. We have largely known throughout the week that rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson would be getting activated off injured reserve for this game, but it looks like he will be joined by the team’s first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Kelvin Banks Jr.

Saints Activate Kelvin Banks Jr. Off Injured Reserve

Saints plan to activate left tackle Kelvin Banks, per sources. Quick recovery for Banks, whose high ankle sprain in September required surgery.

New Orleans selected Banks with the No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft with the idea that he would become its left tackle of the future. His rookie campaign was filled with highs and lows, but at the end of the day, Banks started all 17 of the team’s games, and he showed enough promise to lead the Saints to believe that he could take a step forward this year.

Banks didn’t even make it through two games before he suffered what appeared to be a serious ankle injury in Week 2. Tests revealed that Banks only suffered a high ankle sprain, and while it required surgery, it’s clear that he dodged a bullet with this injury. As a result, Banks has spent the last few weeks rehabbing his injury in an effort to get himself back on the field.

After being designated to return to practice, Banks logged limited sessions all three days this week and was labeled questionable to play heading into this contest. The overarching expectation has always been that Banks would play, though, and he has gotten the green light to suit up, as the team is reportedly set to activate him off injured reserve.

Saints plan to activate left tackle Kelvin Banks, per sources,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported in a post on X. “Quick recovery for Banks, whose high ankle sprain in September required surgery.”

Saints Offense Gets Major Boost With Kelvin Banks Jr. Injury News

New Orleans’ offense has been a bit of a mess at times this year, and its issues start along the offensive line. Tyler Shough is frequently facing pressure when he drops back to pass, and the rushing attack simply has not managed to get anything going through seven games. Getting Banks back on the field should help the Saints keep Shough standing upright and get the run game going.

As noted above, the Browns offense has some big question marks heading into this game, but their defense remains one of the better units in the league, so Banks is going to be challenged right away in this one. New Orleans could still win its division, but it needs to start winning games, which is why this contest is so important. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.