It could be worse for the New Orleans Saints, but that can’t be much consolation. Quarterback Drew Brees will undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament on his right hand, specifically his thumb, and will miss at least 6-to-8 weeks as he recovers.
The good news is, Brees will be back for the second half of the season. The not-so-good news is New Orleans’ bye week doesn’t come until Week 9. The team could put Brees on injured reserve, but at minimum he’ll miss key games with playoff implications against the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and possibly the Atlanta Falcons. At 1-1 right now, that could make their postseason plans dicey.
#Saints QB Drew Brees, who visited a specialist following his team’s loss to the #Rams, is believed to have a ligament issue on his throwing thumb, per @TomPelissero and me. The team will know the full extent today, but he’s looking at missing some game time.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2019
Brees was injured when his hand was swatted by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald while he was throwing a pass. Their hands collided and, while Donald came away unscathed, Brees left the game for good, unable to grip a football.
Back up Teddy Bridgewater replaced the 40-year-old quarterback and went the rest of the way in the 27-9 loss to the Rams. The job is likely Bridgewater’s until Brees can suit up again, but don’t be surprised if Saints head coach Sean Payton decides to get a real look at No. 3 quarterback and slash-receiver Taysom Hill. In the offseason Payton described his all-purpose weapon to another signal-caller out of BYU, Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young.
The next step for Drew Brees is to decide who is doing the surgery and what procedure he’ll do. That could alter the time frame. But Teddy Bridgewater is the new starting QB for the #Saints. https://t.co/pciqVbBoN2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2019
“Well, if you look back at Steve’s career, and people don’t remember his time before he came into the NFL, you had a very athletic player that I think advanced when he got to San Francisco,” Payton told ESPN in August. “And he always had great ability with his legs. So you’re trying to create visions for players — no different than how you would evaluate (then backup QB Teddy Bridgewater), what he can be. And I think that that’s the business we’re in. …that was something that as you began to watch (Hill’s) skill set, you’re just trying to think of players that were similar at an early stage in their career.”
If Bridgewater struggles, Hill could get the nod.
H/T ESPN
