New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared injury updates to multiple players after Week 3’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, including four of their top five wide receivers, a starting guard, and of course quarterback Jameis Winston. It’s not the worst possible outcome — several of these injuries appear to be minor and should be behind them sooner or later — but it’s close. And the proliferation of injuries on offense is exactly what the Saints can’t afford given their issues on that side of the ball. Here’s what we learned after Sunday’s game:
WR Michael Thomas
Allen specified that Thomas suffered a toe injury late in the Panthers game (when he was first sidelined it was announced as a foot issue). He was in and out of the medical tent and was observed testing his legs on the sidelines, but the team must have decided it wasn’t worth risking further injury by continuing to play him while hurt or he wasn’t able to reenter the game at all. We should be watching this situation closely on next week’s injury report.
WR Jarvis Landry
The Saints initially said that Landry suffered an ankle injury during the game, and that he’d be probable to return — his status was downgraded twice before the final whistle, first as questionable and then to doubtful to return. That suggests the medical staff either grew pessimistic the longer they got to look at him or the Saints chose to put him on ice as the on-field situation deteriorated. Allen said that he and Thomas will be evaluated throughout the week ahead.
WR Tre'Quan Smith
Allen clarified that while the team initially feared Smith reinjured the shoulder (which has kept him sidelined for the first two weeks of the season), they quickly realized he had suffered a concussion and immediately ruled him out. The severity of the brain injury isn’t yet clear and it could take him some time to recover. Remember, Taysom Hill lost a full month in the concussion protocol last season. It’s a really unfortunate break for a player who just got back on the field, and who was injured making a big-time play late in the game.
LG Andrus Peat
Like Smith, Peat is also in the NFL concussion protocol after he was slow to get up following a play late in the first half. And this could be serious. Peat has been diagnosed with concussions before, in Oct. 2018 and Nov. 2020, so this is his third confirmed brain injury in five years. That’s dangerous. Hopefully he experiences a full recovery in however long that takes — the Saints have a good backup in Calvin Throckmorton, who can hold it down in his place.
WR Deonte Harty
The Saints expected to have Harty in this game; NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported that they didn’t anticipate his absence. Harty’s foot injury must have flared up pregame and he ended up being unavailable. It had made him a limited participant in practice this week on Wednesday and Thursday, and though he improved to see a full day’s work on Friday it may have held him out of the game. Marquez Callaway and Dwayne Washington filled in for him on returns duties, but his status should be monitored moving forwards.
QB Jameis Winston
Winston himself said after the game that continuing to play won’t impact his four already-fractured vertebrae — everything he’s been told is that they’ll heal whether he’s playing football or observing from the sidelines, though he didn’t share a recovery timeline. It was clarified that the ankle issue he’s dealing with is an aggravation of the same sprain that caused him to miss time during training camp. His condition is rough to watch, but the Saints must feel he’s still a better option than Andy Dalton, even banged-up.
