New Orleans Saints receiver Lance Moore missed the team portion of practice again Tuesday as he continues to recover from a groin injury. Obviously that hurts Moore’s chances of playing Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, though Coach Sean Payton did not expand on Moore’s status.

The Saints will release one final injury report following their Wednesday walk-through, though chances are Moore will be listed as “questionable.”

Kicker Garrett Hartley also missed practice Tuesday, and he is not expected to play Thursday. Defensive tackle Tom Johnson (calf) and receiver Adrian Arrington (knee) were limited in practice Tuesday.

OXNARD, CALIF. – New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks and tailback Mark Ingram both missed practice with knee injuries Tuesday, but both of them are expected back soon according to Coach Sean Payton.

Nicks apparently has a contusion, which he originally suffered in Saturday night’s game at Houston. After the knee continued to bother him Monday, the team took him in for tests, but they came out negative for anything more serious. Payton said he will likely be sidelined for a week and probably won’t play Sunday night at Oakland. But he should be back at practice next week.

Ingram was experiencing some swelling on Tuesday after he practiced fully on Monday, so the team sat him as a precaution. He will likely sit out on Tuesday, too, but should be back within a couple days.

Backup defensive end Junior Galette also left during Tuesday’s practice with an unspecified knee injury.

Also missing practice for the Saints Tuesday were linebackers Will Herring, Clint Ingram and Ezra Butler, defensive tackles Aubrayo Franklin and Tom Johnson, defensive ends Jeff Charleston and Greg Romeus, cornerbacks Johnny Patrick and Fabian Washington, tailbacks Chris Ivory and Chris Taylor, receiver Jarred Fayson and guard Roger Allen.

New Orleans Saints starting free safety Malcolm Jenkins sat out Tuesday’s practice with a sore right knee, but Coach Sean Payton said afterward the nick is not a concern and that Jenkins would probably be able to play this Saturday against the Texans.

“I would see him being able to play this weekend and practice by Thursday,” Payton said of the second-year Jenkins.

Elsewhere the injury report looked much the same as it did Monday. Running back Chris Ivory and defensive end Greg Romeus remain on the failed physical list.

Those players not practicing Tuesday were linebackers Ezra Butler (hamstring and sports hernia), Ramon Humber (quad) and Clint Ingram (hamstring); cornerback Johnny Patrick (knee); running back Joique Bell (knee); defensive tackle Tom Johnson (calf); offensive tackle Alex Barron (knee); Leigh Torrence (right hip).

Payton also listed defensive end Jeff Charleston, who has been nursing a sore ankle. Charleston was on the field in pads initially during unit exercises, but he did not participate in team drills. 

Returning to practice Tuesday was linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar.

With the possible exception of Butler, all of the players who have missed time will head to Houston and then on to Oxnard, Ca., where the Saints are scheduled to continue training camp next week prior to playing the Raiders on Aug. 28. Some of the players are expected to return to practice on the West Coast, according to Payton.

The New Orleans Saints added considerable talent — and size — to their defensive line Tuesday by signing first-round draft pick Cameron Jordan and agreeing to terms with nine-year veteran tackle Aubrayo Franklin.

Jordan, who was the Saints’ lone unsigned draft pick, agreed to a four-year, $7.7 million contract. Franklin, who started all 16 games for the San Francisco 49ers last season, is expected to sign a one-year deal.

“I’m ready to do what I can,” said Jordan, a 6-foot-4, 287-pound defensive end from Cal. “I just want to play.”

Landing Franklin, a 6-1, 317-pounder who was a fifth-round selection by the Baltimore Ravens, garnered the Saints a great deal of positive feedback from their fans Tuesday and from the team’s starting middle linebacker.

Jonathan Vilma posted this message to his Twitter account after the news became public: “am i reading this right, did we really get aubrayo franklin? i’m happy as hell if we did!”

The Saints are banking on Jordan to make an immediate impact. They also expect Franklin to be a run-stopper much the same way he was with the 49ers last season, when he had 38 tackles.

In addition to Jordan and Franklin, the Saints signed defensive end Turk McBride on Monday and already had added veteran defensive tackle Shaun Rogers before the lockout. Those four newcomers will team with veteran defensive ends Will Smith and Alex Brown and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis to form the deepest rotation of linemen the Saints have had in years.

After agreeing to his deal, Jordan said Tuesday he’s eager to get started. Jordan said he expects to participate in his first practice Wednesday. Franklin, just like every other free agent who has agreed to terms on a new deal, will not be able to practice until Thursday.

“I know the humidity in Louisiana is tough, and I haven’t had on pads in awhile, but I’m ready,” Jordan said.

Jordan declined to say what he was specifically seeking that caused negotiations to drag through the first few days of camp. But he said after the Philadelphia Eagles signed offensive tackle Danny Watkins, who was selected one slot ahead of him as the 23rd overall pick, it become pretty much a done deal to get a contract completed.

Jordan’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, could not be reached for comment.

“I feel everything in the contract was important,” Jordan said. “I feel like I have one of the best agents, and I let him handle everything.”

Though the Saints players were given Tuesday off, the front office was quite active. Quarterback Drew Brees got some good news when the Saints agreed to terms with tight ends David Thomas and Tory Humphrey.

Thomas, a versatile 6-3, 248-pounder out of Texas, has been a key contributor for the Saints since he was acquired in a trade from New England before the 2009 season. He caught 35 passes for 356 yards and a touchdown in 2009 and last season had 30 receptions for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

Humphrey is a 6-2, 255-pound sixth-year player out of Central Michigan who has appeared in 31 games with two starts and has caught 13 passes for 181 yards (13.9 avg.) and made nine special teams tackles. After joining the Saints toward the end of the 2009 regular season, Humphrey appeared in six games in 2010, starting two, and had one 12-yard catch as he played a key role in blocking for the New Orleans running and passing attacks.

The Saints also signed cornerback Terrail Lambert and waived rookies cornerback Josh Gatlin and offensive guard Carl Johnson. Gatlin injured his right knee and thumb on the first day of training camp and Johnson failed his physical examination.

On Monday, the Saints agreed to terms with linebacker Clint Ingram.

He was signed to a one-year deal in free agency in 2010 and was expected to compete for the starting strongside linebacker spot but didn’t play a down. He started the season on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury and was released in October.

Ingram, 6-2, 240, suffered the injury in the 2009 season as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He underwent microfracture surgery to repair the injury but his recovery did not progress as quickly as needed. The Saints saw him as a possible replacement for Scott Fujita on the strong side.

At 28, Ingram still is young enough to help the Saints if he’s healthy. Rookie Martez Wilson is currently starting at strongside linebacker but the competition will increase dramatically when veterans Danny Clark, Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Scott Shanle are allowed to return to practice Thursday. Add Ingram to the mix.

John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3407.