The New Orleans Saints opened the 2026 season with a loss and received more unwelcome news before Week 2 even arrived.
Long snapper Zach Wood, one of the most durable and least-noticed players on the roster, is expected to miss four to six weeks with a Grade II calf strain, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.
The diagnosis came as a surprise because Wood did not appear on Wednesday’s injury report. He felt tightness in his calf during work, underwent testing later in the day, and learned the strain would keep him out for an extended stretch.
Wood is 33 and in his 10th season with the Saints after signing in 2017. In that time he has not missed a regular-season game, a streak that now stands at 150 consecutive appearances.
Only Cameron Jordan has been with the franchise longer. Wood is tied with running back Alvin Kamara for the next-longest tenure.
That kind of availability is rare at any position, and it is especially valuable at long snapper, a job that is noticed almost exclusively when something goes wrong.
Specialists like Wood operate in a narrow, high-pressure window. The snap on a punt or field-goal attempt has to arrive at the right height and speed, on time, every time. When it does, the play looks routine. When it does not, the entire kicking unit is exposed.
Wood has made that routine look effortless for nearly a decade. His absence therefore creates a practical problem as well as a sentimental one. The Saints do not currently have a long snapper on the practice squad. They did not bring candidates in for tryouts Wednesday but are expected to do so soon.
Defensive tackle John Ridgeway III served as the emergency option in training camp when Wood missed a session to attend Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame induction. Ridgeway could be asked to fill in again on short notice if a replacement is not signed before Sunday’s game in Baltimore.
The timing is inconvenient. New Orleans already dropped its opener and now travels to face the Ravens without a player who has been a constant through multiple coaching staffs and roster cycles.
A four-to-six-week absence could stretch through games against Baltimore, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Minnesota, the Giants and Pittsburgh. Whether the team places Wood on injured reserve with a designated return or simply holds him out week to week remains to be seen.
Long snapping is a thankless craft. The best practitioners stay invisible. Wood’s reliability has allowed Saints fans and coaches to take the position for granted. That luxury is gone for the next month or more.
The organization will have to find someone who can deliver the same quiet precision while Wood recovers. When he returns, the hope is that the snaps will once again look as if they happen by themselves.
Until then, New Orleans must replace one of its most consistent veterans at a moment when consistency is already in short supply.
