The New Orleans Saints have placed Rashid Shaheed on injured reserve after he had surgery on his knee, which is expected to end his season.
Shaheed led the team with 349 receiving yards and three touchdowns in six games but needed meniscus surgery, as coach Dennis Allen shared on Wednesday.
The third-year player, who went undrafted from Weber State, was the Saints’ primary deep threat, scoring three touchdowns from 43 yards or more. He also returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown during the team’s recent 51-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His injury comes as starting receiver Chris Olave is also sidelined, having entered the concussion protocol after a helmet-to-helmet hit in last Sunday’s game.
With Shaheed out, the Saints added receivers Jermaine Jackson and Equanimeous St. Brown to their active roster ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Denver Broncos, as New Orleans faced a four-game losing streak.
In addition to Shaheed, several players were inactive against Denver, including quarterback Derek Carr (oblique), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring), defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (back), tight end Taysom Hill (ribs), and running back Jordan Mims.
For the game, the Broncos activated three players from injured reserve: outside linebacker Baron Browning, cornerback Damarri Mathis, and offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey.
They deactivated cornerback Pat Surtain II (concussion), cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle), tight end Greg Dulcich, linebacker Dondrea Tillman, and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike.
