Category: Derek Carr

Derek Carr’s health leads the biggest storylines of Saints vs. Buccaneers

Derek Carr will likely miss his first game, and Alvin Kamara will make his season debut. How will this impact the Saints vs. the Buccaneers? | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday. The biggest current stories around this team revolves around a player who is about to play his first game of the season and one who is might be about to miss his first game of the season.

The first storyline is Derek Carr’s health. The Saints are sending the message that Carr playing on Sunday isn’t out of the question. Technically, they aren’t wrong because all reports say Carr’s injury is just about pain management. However, the Saints could just be posturing to make the Buccaneers think twice.

The most likely scenario is Jameis Winston starting the game against his former team. Sitting Carr also would be the smartest decision. Dennis Allen has already ruled out the idea of Taysom Hill starting at quarterback.

The second storyline is the return of Alvin Kamara. The lead running back has finished his three game suspension and could help out the offense, if used properly. At the worst, this is another dynamic skill player added to the offense.

Kamara’s return comes at an advantageous time. Jamaal Williams is on injured reserve, and Kendre Miller is going into his second NFL game. The running back room could use a veteran presence and an established talent on the field. Hopefully the offensive line can open some lanes for him to work with.

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Derek Carr says he’s doing everything possible to play vs. Bucs

Derek Carr says he’s doing everything possible to play against the Bucs, but that he’d feel confident starting even if he doesn’t throw a ball all week:

Derek Carr says he’s doing everything possible to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but that he’d feel confident starting even if he doesn’t throw a ball all week. At the same time, the New Orleans Saints quarterback made it clear that he doesn’t want to put himself in a position to potentially hurt the team by playing when he isn’t able to perform at a high level.

“If I can play, I’ll play. If I physically just can’t play, I won’t be out there,” Carr said. Saints head coach Dennis Allen previously said that this would be more of a pain management issue for Carr rather than anything structural he’ll have to overcome, so there’s a real chance he’ll be playing on Sunday.

Still, they’re prepared to start Jameis Winston at quarterback if Carr can’t go (and it would be Winston, not Taysom Hill, getting that nod). One interesting note from Carr’s Wednesday media availability: Carr said he’d be confident starting on Sunday even if he doesn’t throw a single pass in practice all week.

That’s the approach the team took with Drew Brees back in 2014 when he suffered his own AC joint injury, which he related to Mike Triplett at NewOrleans.Football earlier this week. Clearly that approach can work. The question is whether it’s the right way for the Saints and Carr to address his situation.

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Dennis Allen shoots down the idea of starting Taysom Hill at QB

Dennis Allen shot down the idea of starting Taysom Hill at quarterback. With Derek Carr managing an injury, Jameis Winston will get the nod:

The New Orleans Saints quarterbacks room is in an odd spot. Derek Carr is managing an injured throwing shoulder, and rookie backup Jake Haener is in the middle of a six-game suspension to start the season — and they just brought back Jake Luton to round out the depth chart. But between the issues in pass protection and Taysom Hill’s mobility as a runner, it might have made sense to consider starting him instead of Jameis Winston on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

However, that isn’t a route Dennis Allen is interested in taking. The Saints head coach shot down that idea after it was brought up during his Wednesday media availability session after practice, clearly outlining a plan for Winston to start this week if Carr can’t go.

Allen said there was “no consideration” of starting Hill at quarterback instead of Winston, but he clarified that the team won’t rule Carr out until they have to. He’ll be evaluated daily after spraining the AC joint in his right shoulder. If his body responds well to treatment and he’s able to perform at a high level, there’s a chance he could play after all.

But if Winston does get the nod to start, Allen added, plenty of other players must step up. He described that scenario as “a total team effort.”

So who will it be on Sunday? It’s too soon to say, based off the team’s words, but their actions suggest it will be Winston. They didn’t sign Luton to the 53-man roster (where, NFL rules dictate, he must stay for the next three games) for nothing. All signs point to Winston leading the offense out of the tunnel this week against his old Buccaneers team. Maybe the third time’s the charm as he seeks his first real win against them.

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Could third time be the charm for Jameis Winston vs. Buccaneers?

Jameis Winston is in line to start against his old Buccaneers team with Derek Carr on the mend. Could the third time be the charm for the ex-Bucs QB?

Derek Carr is managing an injured throwing shoulder and may not be available against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, which means Jameis Winston is in line to start against his old team — again. He hasn’t gotten a definitive win against them in two previous meetings. Is the third time the charm for the New Orleans Saints quarterback?

Winston is still searching for his first real win against the team that gave up on him. In 2021 he was knocked out of the game (tied at 7-7) by an illegal horse collar tackle from his former teammate Devin White, who was fouled on the play and fined by the league office afterwards. Winston celebrated the win by dancing on crutches to support him, but it was bittersweet — Trevor Siemian finished the game under center, doing enough to win 36-27, but Winston’s season ended after being injured on that illegal hit.

Things didn’t go much better in 2022. Winston fought through an injury suffered the previous week to start anyway, but the Buccaneers bullied him and the Saints offense: Winston was sacked 6 times and threw 3 interceptions, with former Bucs safety Mike Edwards returning his takeaway 68 yards for a defensive touchdown. The Saints lost 20-10 and Winston was benched a few weeks later.

So here’s his next opportunity to try and win some comeuppance on his old team. Winston is healthy now and he has more firepower to work with than in past matchups with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay just got demolished by the Philadelphia Eagles 25-11 on Monday night and has to travel to New Orleans on a short week. But the pass protection is a major concern and Winston has a bad habit of holding onto to the ball too long himself, which is how Carr got himself hurt. The Bucs do have a talented defensive front and they could knock Winston around just as easily as they’ve done before. A win is not guaranteed.

As far as that goes, it’s not guaranteed that Winston will start this game. The Saints have said Carr is “week to week” with his injured shoulder and they declined to rule him out for Week 4’s home game with the Buccaneers on Monday. It would be a big surprise for Carr to start on Sunday, but it’s possible. Maybe Winston will be left watching another game against Tampa Bay from the sidelines. But it sure would be cathartic for him to take the field and leave with a win on his own terms.

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Dennis Allen says Derek Carr is week to week: ‘We dodged a bullet there’

Dennis Allen says Derek Carr is week to week with a sprained shoulder: ‘We dodged a bullet there’

Here’s some real news on Derek Carr from New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen. Allen said Monday that Carr is week to week with his injured throwing shoulder, specifying that his challenge is going to pain management more than any structural issues.

Allen said: “Derek’s got a sprained AC joint. We’ll evaluate him as he goes throughout the week this week, we dodged a bullet there in terms of anything of real significance. I think we’re kind of saying week to week. But again, he felt better today than he did yesterday, so we’re not making any decisions today, we’re not ruling anything out. We’ll see where he’s at as the week goes on.”

So the Saints aren’t ready to say that Carr will be unavailable for next week’s home game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though it feels unlikely he could return soon. But you never know. If his body responds well to treatment and he’s healed up enough to play, he’ll be on the field. We’ll have to monitor the injury report carefully in the days ahead for more updates on his status.

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4 quarterbacks the Saints could sign with Derek Carr on the mend

With Derek Carr injured and Jake Haener still suspended, the Saints could use another quarterback to round out the depth chart. Here are four realistic options:

With Derek Carr injured and Jake Haener still suspended, the New Orleans Saints could use another quarterback to round out the depth chart. Let’s not play dumb: Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are going to stay on top and do their best to lead this team while Carr is on the mend. They aren’t going to find a new starter.

But it’s worth adding another passer to the practice squad to at least see the team through their next three games until Haener is reinstated, and maybe longer until Carr is cleared to return (if he’ll even be sidelined that long; right now, we just don’t know).

Depth is important, and these are four realistic options:

Reports: Saints believe Derek Carr avoided season-ending injury

Multiple outlets report the Saints believe Derek Carr avoided a major injury, and he is expected to play again this season:

Here’s a little more good news on Derek Carr. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill report that the New Orleans Saints believe Carr avoided a serious injury in Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, and the quarterback is expected to return to action this season.

Now, how long that could be is yet to be determined. But Carr’s year is far from over, and that’s what is important. If the defense can continue its streak of dominance and Alvin Kamara’s return can reignite the offense, maybe he can return to a team that still has a winning record once his shoulder has healed up.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, Saints fans should just take a sigh of relief that their starting quarterback will be back under center sooner rather than later. Look for Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill to hold down the fort in the meantime.

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Derek Carr released from hospital, rejoins teammates for flight home

Derek Carr released from hospital, rejoins Saints teammates for flight home

Here’s some small good news: Derek Carr has been released from a Green Bay hospital and joined his New Orleans Saints teammates for their flight home after Sunday’s loss to the Packers, per Nola.com’s Luke Johnson.

Carr went down with an injured shoulder midway through the game at Lambeau Field and was initially evaluated at the stadium’s X-ray room before being taken to a local hospital for further testing. Hopefully this is a positive sign for his status, but we’ll have to wait and see.

If nothing else it’s good to see he’s been cleared to travel home to New Orleans where he can focus on healing up at the team facility. The exact nature of Carr’s injury and his timetable to return have not been disclosed.

This is a developing story.

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Report: Derek Carr undergoing further tests at Green Bay hospital

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Saints quarterback Derek Carr is undergoing further testing at a Green Bay hospital:

This isn’t encouraging. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is undergoing further testing at a Green Bay hospital “for, among other things, internal injuries.” Carr received X-rays at Lambeau Field but other equipment was needed to evaluate his injured shoulder.

Carr went down after a big hit on a sack against the Green Bay Packers in which the protection held up, but he held onto the ball too long and was cut down by the Packers pass rush. He fell hard on his throwing shoulder and was initially announced as questionable to return before being ruled out altogether.

We’ll have to wait and see what the doctors diagnose him with. Stay tuned for updates.

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Saints say Derek Carr will not return vs. Packers due to shoulder injury

Saints say Derek Carr will not return vs. Packers due to shoulder injury

The New Orleans Saints downgraded Derek Carr, saying he will not return in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers due to a shoulder injury. Jameis Winston stepped in under center to defend the team’s 17-0 lead at Lambeau Field.

Carr was injured on a play where the protection held up, keeping him clean to stay in the pocket and survey the field — but he held onto the ball too long and was hit hard by a Packers defender. Carr was slammed to the turf on his throwing shoulder and was slow to leave the field.

The good news is that Carr was initially questionable to return, not immediately ruled out. That decision to keep him out of the game happened after he underwent further evaluation in the locker room. Hopefully the Saints are practicing an abundance of caution with their starting quarterback while holding a big lead.

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