Katherine TerrellESPN Staff Writer2 Minute Read
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr took a step forward Friday in his recovery from a shoulder injury.
Carr threw to his receivers during the portion of practice open to the media and participated in 11-on-11 work, according to Saints coach Dennis Allen. It was the most he’d participated all week after injuring his shoulder in the Saints’ game against the Green Bay Packers last week.
Carr is officially questionable to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and will be evaluated again Saturday.
“He was limited in practice today,” Allen said. “Every day he’s gotten better. I thought he did a nice job today. We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow and go from there.”
Allen was not ready to name a starting quarterback yet.
“We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow. I don’t want to make any statements in terms of what his availability actually is. I have no idea how he’s going to feel tomorrow.”
If Carr can’t play, Jameis Winston would start against the team that drafted him.
“Right now, we don’t know [who will start], but I know that I’m prepared and ready to go,” Winston said.
Carr said Wednesday he could play even without throwing all week if he and the coaches had determined he could still be functional and effective.
“Can he go out and execute his job? That’s really all this is,” Allen said.
Allen said they had conversations with doctors about what the risk factor would be if Carr played. The injury, a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, occurred last Sunday when he landed on his shoulder during the third quarter of the Saints’ loss to the Green Bay Packers, and he would only be a week out from it if he played against the Buccaneers.
“Any time you have this injury, there’s obviously more risk than if this had never happened, and the risk gets less and less each week we get out [from it],” he said.
Carr has only missed two regular-season games because of injury in his career. He said if he does play Sunday, he will do so without worry that he’ll make the injury worse.
“I’m going to do everything I can to be out there with my guys, and if I can play, I’ll play,” Carr said Wednesday. “If I physically just can’t play, then I can’t play. But if I’m out there, that means there’s no fear of reinjury, there’s no fear of … being able to help the football team. I’m doing everything I can to be out there but never hurt the team at the same time.”
The Saints also ruled out safety Jordan Howden, guard Cesar Ruiz and cornerback Paulson Adebo.
