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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS — The Saints placed wide receiver/kick returner Rashid Shaheed on injured reserve Thursday after he underwent season-ending knee surgery.
Shaheed had surgery in Los Angeles on Thursday to assess the extent of a meniscus injury. A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that doctors ended up repairing the meniscus, which comes with a four- to six-month recovery timetable.
The All-Pro kick returner led the league with 15.9 yards per punt return. He returned a punt for a touchdown last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Shaheed’s absence means the Saints will be without their top two receivers against the Denver Broncos and former New Orleans coach Sean Payton on Thursday night. Shaheed had 20 catches for a team-leading 349 yards and three touchdowns, while Chris Olave, who is out with a concussion, was second on the team with 23 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown.
Shaheed is the third significant Saints player to be placed on injured reserve recently. Starting center Erik McCoy had groin surgery after he was injured in Week 3 and was projected to miss six to eight weeks. Safety Will Harris (hamstring) was also recently placed on IR.
The Saints (2-4) have also had a string of other players miss time, including starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), tight end Taysom Hill (rib) and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring). Linebacker Demario Davis missed the first game of his career due to injury in Week 4.
Shaheed entered the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent and signed a one-year, $5.2 million extension in July that puts him under contract through the 2025 season.