Report: Saints' Erik McCoy to undergo groin surgery | Saints

The New Orleans Saints will be without Erik McCoy for much of the season.

The Saints center will undergo surgery for the groin injury he sustained in Sunday's 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and will be out for the next six to eight weeks, a source familiar with the situation confirmed.

The injury is a major blow to the Saints' offensive line, which entered the season with many questions. Although the unit played well in the first two games, it struggled against the Eagles – especially after McCoy went down after just three plays.

McCoy, a second-round pick in 2019, is considered the Saints' best offensive lineman. He made his first Pro Bowl last season and has started 77 games in his career. This is his first major injury since 2022, when he missed four games with a calf injury.

The NFL Network first reported that McCoy would need surgery.

The Saints have replaced McCoy with the experienced Lucas Patrick, and he is the guy they will likely rely on while McCoy is out. Patrick, who started at left guard for the Saints, has plenty of experience as a center, as the eight-year pro played that position with the Chicago Bears last season and also did so with the Green Bay Packers.

Coach Dennis Allen said Monday that Patrick did a “good job” filling in for McCoy. According to Pro Football Focus, Patrick did not allow pressure in 28 pass-blocking snaps.

The bigger question for the Saints now will be what the team does at the left guard position. After moving Patrick to center, New Orleans used veteran Oli Udoh at the position — but had previously used swingman Landon Young in place of Patrick when he missed part of the team's season opener with a toe injury. Young played just one snap against the Eagles, but had missed the entire week of practice leading up to the game with a foot injury.

The Saints also have 2023 fourth-round pick Nick Saldiveri, who competed for the left guard position in the offseason before suffering a calf injury that sidelined him for most of training camp.

Regardless, the Saints will now be without McCoy. If the 27-year-old is out for a full eight weeks, he would not return until after the Saints' off week when New Orleans hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 1. At that point, the Saints (including the Rams) would have only six games left on their schedule.

“I mean, nobody wants to see a center go down in the Pro Bowl,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said Monday. “He's obviously one of our better players on our offensive line. So, yes, it was a challenge (against the Eagles). And yet, everyone in the NFL has to deal with those kinds of challenges. We expect our guys to go in there and perform.”