There are a lot of ways Erik McCoy can sum up his last two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but he opted for brevity with a dash of profanity.

“S*** just happens,” McCoy said.

The Pro Bowl center of the New Orleans Saints is a true difference-maker when he is on the field. He is a technician who is also a supreme athlete. He is the offensive line’s nerve center and a quarterback’s best friend. And he is the unquestioned leader of the most tight-knit position group in the locker room.

Unfortunately, he’s spent more time on the sidelines than on the field the last two seasons. He landed on injured reserve twice in 2024 — first for a groin injury, later for an elbow injury — and played in just seven games. He was limited to seven games again last season when he tore his biceps against the Chicago Bears, landing on season-ending IR.

That is why McCoy didn’t want to dwell too much on all the other ways he could describe what the last two seasons were like. He can analyze it from every angle and try to pinpoint what went wrong, or he can accept that sometimes stuff just happens.

“It’s hard as an athlete, but it’s the name of the game,” McCoy said. “Last year, the play where I tore my bicep was something I’ve done a million times, and I saw people do it a million times after that. It just happened to be that impact angle and, you know, it ended my season.

“It was tough. But I’m going to keep doing what I can to mitigate those risks and hopefully I’ll be lucky. Hopefully all of us will be lucky, but I want to be lucky, too.”

This is a lesson he’s had to learn as a pro, and he’s been on both sides of it. He recalled a moment after his fifth season, when he earned his first Pro Bowl honor after appearing in all 17 games. At that stage in his career, McCoy had mostly dodged injuries outside of a few soft-tissue issues.

He did an interview for the team’s in-house magazine ahead of the 2024 season when he was told he was the only player on the offense who stayed healthy for the entirety of the previous season.

“And my answer was, ‘It was the luck of the draw,’ ” McCoy said. “I still stick to that. Healthy, unhealthy. Yes, there are certain things you can do to prepare, but at the end of the day, it’s football, s*** happens, and it’s just the luck of the draw.”

That 2024 season started off with a bang. New Orleans scored 91 points in its first two games as McCoy played an integral role in the team’s new wide zone run scheme. Then, in Week 3, McCoy hurt his groin and the team’s offense cratered.

New Orleans was better positioned to handle McCoy’s season-ending injury last year thanks to its trade for veteran Luke Fortner during the preseason, but his absence was still felt.

“Erik’s one of the top centers in this league, he’s a really talented player. When he’s on the field, we’re a better football team — always,” coach Kellen Moore said. “… Erik is an important part of this. When he’s out there, we’re a better offensive line, a better offense. So we’re excited to keep building.”

One of the players who is particularly excited to get to work with McCoy is quarterback Tyler Shough, who has yet to take a snap from McCoy in a game setting because he took over as the starter after McCoy’s injury last year.

“He’s been great for me,” Shough said. “Even though we didn’t get to play together we were around each other every single day. We had our sons born within 24 hours of each other so we were at the hospital together. I love him, he’s been great for me, just to be able to learn (from) and talk with him.”

Beyond their personal relationship, having McCoy back in the fold should help the young quarterback’s on-field development.

McCoy’s ability to identify where defensive pressure is coming from and make the appropriate calls to the offensive line should alleviate some of Shough’s need to make decisions at the line of scrimmage.

“Whatever he’s calling … I trust him fully and implicitly,” Shough said.

McCoy just wants to be there for his team.

He and his wife welcomed their second child this spring, and while he said his growing family helped keep things in perspective, he also realizes he has only so much time left to play this game. Now entering his eighth season, it occurred to him that he’s closer to the end than the beginning.

So, add him to the list of people who are excited to see him back on the field. Just don’t expect him to change the way he plays based on how the last two years went.

“There’s always going to be an awareness (of injuries), but you can’t play with an awareness, you know what I mean?” McCoy said. “It’s kind of just got to be reckless abandon, and whatever happens happens. I’m going to keep that same mentality.

“I don’t want to be a guy that plays timid, that plays soft, that plays afraid to get hurt. If I play like that, I should quit football.”