Jimmy Graham Injury: Updates on Saints Star's Shoulder and Return

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 19

The Saints confirmed Jimmy Graham will play in Week 7:

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New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said Sunday morning that star tight end Jimmy Graham will play against the Detroit Lions but that the team will be smart in how it uses him.

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Conor Orr of NFL.com previously reported how the Saints plan to utilize Graham today: 

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The plan is for Graham to be used mostly in red-zone situations, which could help preserve him a little bit.

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Updates from Friday, Oct. 17

Albert Breer of NFL.com has an update on Graham's status for Sunday:

Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV in Louisiana says:

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 16 

Pro Football Talk provides an update on Jimmy Graham's injury:

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 12

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has the inside scoop on how long Jimmy Graham is expected to be sidelined as a result of his shoulder injury:

Original Text

Wide receiver? Tight end? What difference does it make now with Jimmy Graham going down with an arm injury in Week 5?  

NFL.com's Around the League confirmed Graham's injury:

However, despite originally being listed as probable, Graham was eventually ruled out for the game, via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:

Following the game, Sean Payton did not provide an update on Graham's status, via Mike Triplett of ESPN:

However, Rapoport spoke with a source on Graham's condition via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com:

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NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the team believes Graham has a sprained shoulder, per a source informed of his condition. The Saints don't feel it's a major injury, but the tight end will be evaluated after tests Monday.

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In the offseason, Graham's positional designation was the source of much debate. While some felt it was a meaningless issue, the financial impact was significant. Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today wrote that a franchise tag for tight ends was $7.05 million compared to $12.3 million for wide receivers.

Graham signed a four-year, $40 million deal with New Orleans, avoiding any contract dispute.

That was a big move for the Saints, as the 27-year-old has become Drew Brees' top target in the passing game. His 86 receptions, 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2013 were first on the team. Graham's combination of size and speed makes him so difficult for opposing defensive coordinators to game-plan around.

Graham can outrun most linebackers and overpower most safeties. ESPN.com's Mike Triplett noted how the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks slowed him down. Those two teams are outliers, though, because the former used cornerback Aqib Talib on Graham often, while the latter has an All-Pro safety in Earl Thomas.

Most teams playing New Orleans can't exactly afford to have a corner as good as Talib matched up on the Pro Bowl tight end all game, nor do they boast a safety as good as Thomas.

Because of that, Graham's unquestionably a big loss for the Saints, but few quarterbacks would be more equipped to handle the absence of their best receiver. Brees is one of the best in the league, so he'll likely find some way to compensate for Graham's absence.

New Orleans' offense might take a slight step back, but it shouldn't be enough to push the team to the back of the pack in the NFC South.