Saints place TE Garrett Griffin on IR with hamstring injury

The Saints are placing tight end Garrett Griffin on the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Griffin will have to miss a minimum of three games, per league rules, but the Saints hope to have him back on the field for Week 18. In the meantime, they’ll activate Adam Trautman for additional depth against the Buccaneers.

Griffin has seen time in 13 games this season, more action than his previous three years combined. Used mostly for his blocking ability, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end has four catches for 39 yards this year. The Saints clobbered the Jets last week to snap their five-game losing streak and stay alive at 6-7. They might be in a better spot today, if not for an iffy penalty called on Griffin against the Cowboys earlier this month. Regardless, they still have a 19% chance of pulling out a wild-card spot, per the odds at Five Thirty Eight.

Saints head coach Sean Payton will also be absent from this week’s game, following his positive test for COVID-19. In his stead, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will serve as the HC on Sunday.