[jwplayer u1OnIGUE-ThvAeFxT]
Saints officially have placed Drew Brees on injured reserve, meaning he’s out a minimum of three weeks.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 20, 2020
This was expected, but it’s still tough news to swallow. The New Orleans Saints designated Drew Brees to the team’s injured reserve list on Friday, following further evaluations on his damaged ribs and throwing shoulder. Brees exited last week’s game with the San Francisco 49ers and was not a participant in practice this week. The good news is that he underwent several X-ray and MRI exams and has an idea of his recovery timetable after receiving second opinions from doctors earlier this week.
However, that’s information the Saints are keeping to themselves. Younger quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson have played through similar injuries in the past, but that’s hardly a precedent for this sort of situation. Reports have said that the Saints are optimistic Brees could be sidelined just two or three weeks while healing up, but their decision to place him on the injured reserve list on Friday will keep him off the field for at least three weeks.
Because the NFL changed its injured reserve rules for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams may move players to and from the list as often as needed, so long as they sit out at least 21 days. If the Saints believed Brees were going to miss less time, they would not have issued him the injured reserve designation. So he’s going to miss their next three games, and possibly more. This is somewhat familiar ground for the Saints after they went 5-0 without him in the lineup last season while recovering from a torn ligament in his throwing hand.
In the meantime, reports say they will be turning to backup quarterback Taysom Hill over Jameis Winston, at least for Sunday’s game with the Atlanta Falcons. This has been a long time coming; the Saints coaching staff has talked up Hill at every turn, and now it appears he’ll get his opportunity to show what he can do after a full week of practice as the starting quarterback, in an offense tailored to his strengths. And he’ll have Brees mentoring him every step along the way.
[listicle id=40498]