Saints Release Bunkley, Place Byrd And Colston On PUP List

The Saints released Brodrick Bunkley after failing a physical, and they placed Marques Colston, Jairus Byrd and Glenn Foster on the PUP list.

For those not familiar with "PUP," it stands for physically unable to perform. Seeing Byrd's name on the list raises more concerns about the health of the Saints highly paid safety. Colston's presence in the receivers will be needed, and Foster provides some beef at defensive tackle. Bunkley's departure may be applauded by some fans after he failed to live up to expectations, but the Saints could honestly use all the help they can get on the D-line heading into the season.

Reports out of New Orleans indicate that Byrd's placement on the PUP list might just be precautionary, due to his injury history and importance on the field.

The Saints also put defensive back Brian Dixon on the non-football injury list, along with Davis Tull, Marcus Murphy and Antonio Johnson. Reserve offensive lineman Mike Bruester was placed on injured reserve list too. The most important pieces are the three players on the PUP list, who are all dealing with different situations.

As stated above, Byrd's knee injury from last season is still fresh on everybody's mind, so best to stay on the safe side of things. Colston didn't see heavy action this summer, but New Orleans also chose to keep his injuries under wraps. Foster's issues stem from a leg injury last November. All three players will hopefully be active come Week 1 and back into action sooner rather than later.

Football season is coming. There's only so much time left to get everybody healthy.