| Good morning and welcome to the Thursday edition of the Saints Insider newsletter for Dec. 29, 2022. The Saints returned to the practice field on Wednesday to begin preparations for their game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. And the news wasn't good on the injury front. A key offensive player was missing from the workout for an unusual reason. Beat reporter Terrin Waack has the story, along with the full injury report for the game. It being Eagles week, one of the storylines that is sure dominate the headlines in both New Orleans and Philadelphia is the Saints' trade of popular defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was asked about the deal on Wednesday and if he had any regrets about the trade today. Also, in case you missed it, I reported earlier this month, that former Saints head coach Sean Payton is open to returning to New Orleans if the Saints were to make a coaching change but the latest word out of Saints camp is that management and ownership plan are standing behind first-year head coach Dennis Allen. My team-by-team breakdown of the Sean Payton Coaching Sweepstakes for 2023. That’s it for today. We'll have much more coverage in the days ahead as the Saints ramp up preparation for their game against the Eagles in Philadelphia. Be sure to check out the NOLA.com Saints page to make sure you're caught up on all the latest news. Until next time, Jeff Duncan | 