METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints placed their standout left tackle Terron Armstead on injured reserve Wednesday after he has battled knee and quad issues all season.
ESPN's Adam Caplan reported that the major issue Armstead was dealing with was a muscle in his upper leg and hip, rather than the knee, according to a source. Caplan said it doesn't appear that Armstead will need surgery, but he needs time to heal up.
Armstead actually played the full game in last Sunday's 16-11 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he had missed three of the previous four games. According to a source, Armstead aggravated the lingering injury against the Buccaneers, which led to the decision to shut him down for the season, but he is expected to be fine long-term.
The fact that the Saints (5-8) have been all but eliminated from the playoffs probably made the decision even easier.
Armstead, 25, is arguably one of the two or three best players on the Saints' roster, and he signed a five-year extension this summer worth $13 million per year.
However, the knee and quad injuries started bothering Armstead during the preseason, and he wound up playing just seven games this season.
Armstead has never specifically detailed his injuries, but he recently called them “issues with three S's” and said he knew he would be dealing with them all season. He said recently, though, that he doesn't expect any of the issues to linger beyond this season.
The good news for the Saints is that second-year pro Andrus Peat has played well in Armstead's absence this season. Peat struggled in 2015 as a rookie first-round draft choice out of Stanford, while being bounced around at several positions. But he has played his best football this season at his natural position of left tackle and at left guard in games when Armstead has been healthy.
The rest of the Saints' injury report was filled with some highs and lows on Wednesday.
Quarterback Drew Brees was limited, simply to get some rest -- which might be a first in his 16-year career.
Leading receiver Michael Thomas (foot), standout center Max Unger (foot) and leading tackle Craig Robertson (shoulder) all practiced on a limited basis after being held out of last Sunday's game – a good sign that all of them may be able to play Sunday at Arizona.
However, running back Mark Ingram (toe, knee), top cornerback Delvin Breaux (shoulder), linebacker Stephone Anthony (knee) and running back Daniel Lasco (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday.
There is still a good chance Ingram will be able to play Sunday since he played through the same issues last week and has played through the toe issue for the past two weeks. Breaux's status is less certain, though. Breaux said he always has hope, but he described himself as “day-to-day or week-to-week, whatever the coaches say.”
Fullback John Kuhn (groin) and safety Shiloh Keo (hamstring) were also limited in Wednesday's practice.
