Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo suffered a broken right femur and was hospitalized following a heavy loss to Denver on Thursday night.
Teammates surrounded Adebo as medical staff applied an air cast to his leg. The fourth-year player, drafted in the third round from Stanford, waved to cheering fans as he was carted off the field towards the Saints’ locker room.
Amazon Prime, which streamed the game, refrained from showing any replays of the injury. “Any time we don’t show you a replay, you know it’s serious,” said play-by-play announcer Al Michaels.
Saints coach Dennis Allen confirmed that Adebo is expected to undergo surgery. “That’s the tough part of our league; seeing things like that can be difficult,” he said after the Saints fell 33-10.
This injury adds to the Saints’ challenges, as they had earlier placed receiver Rashid Shaheed on injured reserve. “He’s an explosive element to our offense and special teams, so that’s a big loss,” Allen noted.
New Orleans also entered the game missing starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique), receiver Chris Olave (concussion), versatile tight end Taysom Hill (ribs), center Erik McCoy, right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring).
Adebo leads the team this season with three interceptions and ten passes defended, along with 52 tackles, six of which he made in the first half of Thursday’s game.
