The New Orleans Saints announced Wednesday that they had opened the 21-day practice window for starting safety Will Harris to return from injured reserve, which could be a big boost for the secondary.

Harris went down with a hamstring injury during Week 5's prime-time loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. To that point in the season the was the only defender to stay on the field for 100% of snaps -- more than mainstays like Tyrann Mathieu and Demario Davis.

He  totaled 16 tackles (12 solo, 1 tackle for loss) and an interception with 3 passes defensed, so he was productive. The Saints have struggled to replace Harris between a rotation including Jordan Howden, J.T. Gray, and Johnathan Abram coming up from the practice squad.

Remember, teams can only activate eight players from injured reserve each season. Backup guard/center Shane Lemieux is also practicing during his own window to return, and the team hopes to get back starting center Erik McCoy later this year. But running back Kendre Miller has already come off injured reserve once before going back on it, so the Saints are rapidly running short on activations. Let's hope the injury bug stops biting soon.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints open practice window for a starter to return from injured reserve