AP

The Saints signed safety Jairus Byrd this offseason in a bid to improve their defense to a level that will allow them to compete for a Super Bowl, so they decided that it was better for him to have back surgery in May than to try to play through a disk injury during the season.

That meant Byrd would have to spend a spell on the sideline watching his teammates practice instead of being on the field with them, but that period has come to an end. Byrd took part in his first full-contact practice since joining the Saints on Tuesday and coach Sean Payton said that he expects Byrd to take another step forward on Saturday when he takes the field against the Colts.

“This is an important game, because he hasn’t been able to play in the first two,” Payton said, via ESPN.com. “Now, we’ll be smart with the reps we give him and the amount we give him, but I don’t think you can just throw the ball out there and play.”

Byrd had 22 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles while he was a member of the Bills and the Saints would love to see his takeaway skills make the trip with him to Rob Ryan’s defense in New Orleans. If they do, it will fill in a piece missing from last year’s team and make the Saints an even tougher out than they were in making it to the Divisional Round last season.