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It’s unclear if there is any chance that Bushrod could come back at some point. He was jockeying for a roster position in an offensive line group that became even more crowded earlier this week, when the Saints re-signed veterans Josh LeRibeus and Michael Ola.

Bushrod then missed practice on Thursday and Friday for an unspecified non-injury reason.

Bushrod, 34, was the starting left tackle on the Saints’ 2009 Super Bowl-winning team after they drafted him in the fourth round out of Towson in 2007. He then went on to play for the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. He has started a total of 122 regular-season games and seven playoff games at both tackle and guard during his 11-year career.

The Saints brought Bushrod back in March to compete for a role as a “swing” backup at both positions.

Williams, meanwhile, is now back on the Saints’ roster after he was one of their most surprising cuts last Saturday. The third-year pro, who spent the week practicing with the team as a member of the practice squad, could still wind up playing a role in Sunday’s season opener at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Williams likely will split time with newly signed veteran Mike Gillislee as the backup tailbacks behind starter Alvin Kamara.

The Saints need running back depth while Pro Bowler Mark Ingram is serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. But their pecking order at the position has been impossible to decipher this week.

For most of the preseason, it looked as if Williams and rookie Boston Scott would be the Saints’ top two backups behind Kamara. But then they cut Williams on Saturday, signed Gillislee on Sunday after he was released by the New England Patriots and cut Scott on Wednesday.

Scott also was re-signed to New Orleans’ practice squad on Thursday, but he won’t be active for Sunday’s game.

It was unveiled before the home opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, all lit up and about twice the size of the other 13 banners in the Lincoln Financial Field rafters. A rabid fan base was in full throat with the ceremony about to begin, but a severe weather advisory went into effect, delaying the start of the game from 8:20 p.m. to 9:05 p.m.

The Eagles asked that the open seating areas be cleared because of lightning and high wind gusts in the area, and they mostly were, with the exception of a handful of reveling souls who decided to take their shirts off and dance in the rain instead.

When the skies cleared, the bowl filled back up and a giant Lombardi Trophy replica was wheeled onto the field near a group of kids and members of the armed forces standing behind a platform, where Eagles legend and recent Hall of Fame inductee Brian Dawkins stood to fire the crowd up and welcome owner Jeffrey Lurie, who was holding the real trophy.

Dakwins led a rendition of “Fly, Eagles Fly.” Fireworks were set off as the banner reading “2017 World Champions” was revealed.

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“From a physical standpoint, I think he’s great,” Wilks said. “I think the knee is strong. He’s at a good place right now, and he had a good practice today.”

The status of Bradford’s knee has given him a new lease on football yet again. Bradford, who has missed 48 games — the equivalent of three full seasons — has a renewed appreciation for playing football.

“I think at this point, you just realize how special each game is,” Bradford said. “It truly is a blessing to be out there every Sunday, every time you get on the field with your teammates after having gone through some of the injuries that I have.

“Having not been able to be out there, I don’t think you take it for granted at all. You realize how special it is and how unique of a position we’re in to be able to do what we do, and really with the mindset of just trying to make the most of it.”

Bradford, 30, said he is expecting “a lot of excitement” to fill him Sunday as he takes the field at State Farm Field. It has already started to bubble up as Bradford has begun going through a game-week routine. Even his wife noticed, he said.

Bradford said he still gets butterflies in his stomach before every game, a sign to him that he’s still invested in his career.

Bradford is coming off an offseason in which he had just 11 pass attempts. This was similar to how he was handled by the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2015 preseason when he attempted just 15 passes coming off his second ACL injury. But he feels he has done everything in his “power” to get himself ready for Sunday.

“If something happens and I get injured or if something happens and it doesn’t hold up, I’m going to hold my head high knowing that I put my body and myself in the best position to succeed,” Bradford said. “I think that’s all you can do, and that’s really what I’ve told myself throughout this process.”