In the days leading up to the New Orleans Saints’ Week 4 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it appeared unlikely that Derek Carr would be able to start at quarterback.
But despite battling a shoulder injury, the veteran signal-caller will give it a go, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that Carr will in fact play in Sunday’s NFC South showdown barring any setbacks in pregame warmups.
The 32-year-old quarterback was officially listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game after suffering a sprained AC joint in the Saints’ Week 3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Carr didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but threw on a limited basis on Friday.
“We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters of Carr’s status on Friday. “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.”
On Wednesday, Carr told reporters that he planned on doing everything possible to play.
“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, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “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.”
Had Carr been unable to play, backup Jameis Winston would have been in line to start at quarterback against his former team. Earlier this week, New Orleans also signed veteran backup quarterback Jake Luton from the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad.
Laying claim to a 2-1 record, the Saints could find themselves in sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a win over the Buccaneers and an Atlanta Falcons loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
