The New Orleans Saints offense will be a bit shorthanded for Thursday's game against the Denver Broncos.
Head coach Dennis Allen confirmed wide receiver Chris Olave will be sidelined due to a concussion and that wideout Rashid Shaheed is scheduled to undergo surgery for a meniscus injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Shaheed could be out for the rest of the year if he needs a full repair.
Rapoport added on Thursday that doctors opted to repair Shaheed's entire meniscus, meaning he'll be out for the season and "faces a multi-month recovery."
If you're not keeping track, nearly all of the Saints' usual passing attack could be out in Week 7.
So the Saints are most likely to be without the following players against the Broncos:
QB Derek Carr
WR Chris Olave
WR Rashid Shaheed
Flex Taysom Hill https://t.co/mxxYB97CRg— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 16, 2024
Shaheed and Olave are first and second on the team in receiving yards. The former has caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, while the latter has 23 receptions for 280 yards and one score.
Shaheed has also been New Orleans' primary returner on punts and split kick return duties with Jamaal Williams. He took a punt to the house in the team's 51-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
🚨 RASHID SHAHEED PUNT RETURN TD 🚨
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/keVtQAqoeK— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2024
It was hard not to get excited when the Saints opened the season with back-to-back wins and dropped 91 total points. Maybe they weren't going to tread water after all in 2024.
New Orleans has since fallen back to earth in a big way with four straight defeats. The injuries have added up, too, with multiple key players either out altogether or forging ahead at less than 100 percent.
Although we're not even at the halfway point of the campaign, it's looking increasingly like the Saints' playoff drought will extend to four years.
