Drew Brees will not be placed on IR with thumb injury

Drew Brees is expected to miss several weeks with a thumb injury he suffered during Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, but the New Orleans Saints are optimistic he will be back well before the end of the season.

Saints head coach Sean Payton told reporters on Wednesday that Brees will not be placed on injured reserve, which means the team expects him to be ready to resume practicing sooner than eight weeks from now.

#Saints coach Sean Payton tells reporters today that he does not plan to place QB Drew Brees on Injured Reserve, which sounds like good news. It indicates NO believes Brees can be back within 8 weeks. 6 weeks was the initial estimate.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2019

Brees tore a ligament in his thumb, and there was initially some speculation that IR would make sense. If he misses six weeks, that would keep him out through Week 8. The Saints have a bye in Week 9, and Brees would be eligible to play again in Week 11 if he were placed on IR. The fact that the Saints are choosing not to go that route is certainly a positive sign.

The Saints have plenty of talent on their roster, so they should be able to remain in playoff contention while Brees is sidelined. Teddy Bridgewater is a serviceable backup who hasn’t been given many chances since his devastating knee injury several years ago, but the Saints are confident he can lead their offense. If they can stay around .500 while Brees it out, they should be squarely in the playoff hunt when he returns.