The Sports Xchange

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who will not play Sunday and risk further injury against the Carolina Panthers, could be a “long shot” to play next week against the Dallas Cowboys.

Brees suffered a bruised rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder last Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network that Brees is a “long shot” to play next Sunday night, per sources informed of his injury.

Rapoport said Brees’ shoulder injury is actually a rotator cuff sprain — not a bruise. The difference in the injury designation is that the sprain indicates some structural damage in the shoulder, a tiny tear in the rotator cuff, according to the report..

“He tried to throw on Friday morning,” Rapoport said Sunday of Brees. “My understanding is that he was not close to being ready, just a couple short throws. He’s dealing with inflammation, he’s dealing with pain and he’s dealing with weakness.”

The Saints will start Luke McCown against the Panthers, with Garrett Grayson as the backup.

Brees, 36, has never missed a regular-season game due to injury in his 10 years with the Saints, which began after he recovered from major shoulder surgery in 2006.