New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr, who hasn't played since suffering an oblique injury on Oct. 7, returned to practice on Wednesday and is expected to play Sunday against the host Carolina Panthers. Carr, who was limited at practice, was expected to miss multiple weeks after the left oblique strain in the 26-13 loss to the host Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.
"It sucks having to sit there and watch when it wasn't the most painful thing I've ever dealt with," Carr said Wednesday, referencing the broken ankle at the end of the 2017 season while with the Raiders. "It really wasn't ..
. it was just a lack of being able to do my job. "And so that was the most frustrating part, because I couldn't just play through it, you know? I just literally couldn't do it," he continued.
"It's been the most frustrating injury I've ever had, besides breaking my ankle and not being able to play in the playoffs that year. ..
. Because there's literally nothing that I could do but wait and just let it heal." The Saints opened the season 2-0 but have lost six in a row -- the last three with rookie Spencer Rattler as the starter.
Rattler, 24, was a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. He has completed 59 of 99 passes (59.6 percent) for 571 yards, one TD and two picks.
New Orleans coach Dennis Allen said that Jake Haener, who replaced Carr in the Chiefs game, will be the top backup, ahead of Rattler. "We felt like Rattler gave us the best chance at the time, and so I think.