Alex Anzalone Placed on IR by Saints with Shoulder Injury

The New Orleans Saints placed linebacker Alex Anzalone on injured reserve Wednesday after he suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday's 20-0 win over the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

The 23-year-old rookie accumulated 16 combined tackles and a sack in four games this season.

Per Joel A. Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate, "The shoulder is the same one that cost Anzalone the better part of two full seasons in college. Back at Florida, [he] had complications from surgery to repair a torn labrum, but it's unclear if this shoulder injury is related."

Anzalone had to leave in the first quarter after making a tackle on Miami's first drive.

"The other day, before he had to go out with the shoulder, he was only in for three plays, but he was going about as fast as anybody could go," linebackers coach Mike Nolan said, per Erickson. "The combination of his experience and the combination of his physical attributes are why he's on the field starting as a rookie."

"As a football player, he's mature," Nolan continued. "He plays as though he's played before. Some guys come in, and the NFL is more football than what they've faced in the past. In his case, he understands it well."

The 2017 third-round pick had been a starter for every game this season, and while he struggled at times in coverage—he was beaten for two touchdowns in the first quarter of Week 2's game against the New England Patriots, for instance, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe—the positives largely outweighed the negatives.

Craig Robertson is expected to start in Anzalone's absence.