Saints QB Drew Brees ruled out for Sunday against Panthers
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will not play Sunday and risk further injury against the Carolina Panthers.
Brees suffered a bruised rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder last Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“He’ll be out for this game,” coach Sean Payton announced Friday. “He’ll travel. I think just where he’s at in the rehab and the strength, I think he felt — I think we all felt — like it would be too early him playing this weekend. And I would say next week then, continue the process without trying to put an estimation on his return.
“He felt like he made progress throughout the week, and yet it’s still not where it needs to be or where we would feel comfortable with the strength that he needs. But he did get better each day, and we’ll just see where it’s at next week.”
The Saints will start Luke McCown against the Panthers, with Garrett Grayson as the backup.
Brees, 36, has never missed a regular-season game due to injury in his 10 years with the Saints, which began after he recovered from major shoulder surgery in 2006.
Brees sustained an injury to his shoulder during the second quarter of the Saints’ 26-19 loss to the Buccaneers.
Brees has completed 62.8 percent of his passes through the first two weeks of the season, going 54 of 86 for 610 two touchdowns and two interceptions for the 0-2 Saints.