The Sports Xchange

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drees Brees told ESPN on Friday that the bruised rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder is more of a functionality issue and less of a pain issue.

After being examined Monday by orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, Brees was encouraged by what he was able to do and could return for Sunday night’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

“Basically what the doctor told me was the cuff muscles at times will just shut down if they’re inflamed,” Brees said. “They’re basically telling the body, ‘I’m injured. I need time to heal, I’m not going to work until the inflammation goes away.’ It wasn’t a pain thing. I mean, it hurt, but that wasn’t the issue. It was just functionality. I did strength exercises all last week. The tough part was with the balance between resting it, getting the inflammation out of it and, at the same time, strengthening it.”

The Saints listed Brees on their injury report as probable. He missed last Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

Coach Sean Payton said Friday he plans for Brees to play against the Cowboys.

“I think he’s planning on starting and we’re planning on starting him,” Payton said. “He looked crisp today. I think he’s going to end up starting and based on the way the week unfolded each day, I felt like he’s made the progress we’re looking for.”

The Saints are off to a 0-3 start while the Cowboys are 2-1.