Drew Brees was placed on injured reserve by the New Orleans Saints this week, and new information makes it very easy to see why he has to miss a few weeks.
Brees entered Week 10 with three rib fractures suffered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. Then Brees took this big hit from Kentavius Street in the second quarter of the Saints’ win over the 49ers and suffered two more rib fractures on his left side. He also had a collapsed lung.
ESPN’s Ed Werder, who shared the initial report about Brees’ five rib fractures, shared more information on Saturday about the quarterback’s status. Werder says doctors have discovered six more rib factures, giving Brees a total of 11 he is recovering from.
In a conversation tonight with Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback said that doctors have been encouraged by his progress — specifically improvement in lung function and the continued dissipation of the pneumothorax suffered last week. They’ve also discovered 6 more rib fractures.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 22, 2020
Brees had X-rays, CAT scans and has been seen by doctors every other day this week. They have now confirmed eight rib fractures on his left side and three on the right. That’s more than double the total from testing performed on Monday that revealed five rib fractures.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 22, 2020
Being placed on IR ensures Brees will miss at least three games. He could miss even more if he needs further time to heal.
The Saints have a few options at quarterback and are making a surprising choice for Week 11 with Brees unavailable.
