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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed underwent knee surgery on Thursday and will be sidelined for the rest of the season.
Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season was painful for the Saints for several reasons, as they suffered a 51-27 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and saw third-year veteran Shaheed pick up an injury.
Rashid Shaheed injury update: What happened to Saints star WR?
After sustaining the injury, Shaheed's knee was examined and doctors came to the conclusion that they needed to repair the receiver's meniscus, which meant the end of the season for the 26-year-old. NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that the player will need four to six months to recover.
"Update: Doctors wound repairing the meniscus in Saints’ WR Rashid Shaheed’s knee today and he now faces a four-to-six month recovery, per source. Shaheed was placed on injured reserve and his season is over."
In the wake of this news, Equanimeous St. Brown was elevated from the practice squad ahead of Thursday's matchup against the Denver Broncos. This is a major loss for New Orleans, given that Shaheed was on track to set career highs in several stats, including receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
After six weeks, the player had collected 20 receptions for a team-high 349 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He also added six carries for 29 rushing yards.
Saints in precarious situation after Rashid Shaheed's season-ending injury
The Saints enter Week 7 in a complex position. They have dropped four consecutive games after a 2-0 start to the season. They lost to the Eagles with two fourth-quarter scores by Saquon Barkley, were shocked by the Falcons 26-24, dominated by the Chiefs 26-13 and then demolished by the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Derek Carr's absence hasn't helped the Saints, but they were struggling even with the quarterback on the field. Dennis Allen is one of several coaches on the hot seat right now and if the season becomes unsalvageable, he could be fired during or after the campaign.
Rashid Shaheed would have helped their cause if healthy, but now that he's out, the situation looks more complex.
