Saints LS Zach Wood To Miss Significant Time

The Saints got an unfortunate surprise today when it discovered that veteran long snapper Zach Wood would miss significant time after being diagnosed with a calf strain, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. As he recovers, the 33-year-old specialist is set to miss his first game in 10 years of NFL play.

Wood initially came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of SMU, where he worked as a team captain and starter at defensive end, spending time at long snapper, as well. His three blocked kicked with the Mustangs showed how impactful he was on both sides of the special teams unit in college. Wood wasn’t signed immediately after the draft like most UDFAs; he didn’t earn his first contract until after a successful tryout at the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp.

Dallas attempted to work him at defensive end in his first offseason, but after waiving him at the roster cut deadline and signing him to a reserve/futures deal at the end of the 2016 season, they worked him more at long snapper in Year 2. Working behind L.P. Ladouceur, he was waived again at the deadline. Four days earlier, the Saints, unhappy with their long snapping options in training camp, traded a seventh-round pick for Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos, but Dorenbos was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm that required immediate surgery (and retirement) shortly after, really putting New Orleans in a bind.

The Saints rebounded again, inking Wood after a last second workout with four other players. Two days later, he made his NFL debut, and he’s appeared in all 150 possible games that the team has played since. Wood didn’t start today on the team’s injury report, but he underwent tests after feeling tightness in his calf and was diagnosed with the strain later.

The Saints will likely need to look into adding a new long snapper to their special teams battery while Wood is out. Oddly enough, they do have defensive tackle John Ridgeway III in place as an emergency long snapper. When Wood missed practice in order to attend Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame ceremony during training camp, Ridgeway stepped into the role. With Wood expected to miss significant time, though, the Saints will likely need to add a new specialist to the roster.