Derek Carr injury update: Dennis Allen reveals Saints QB status ahead of Panthers game

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared an update on quarterback Derek Carr who is dealing with an oblique injury. While speaking to reporters on Wednesday (per Saints reporter Mike Triplett), Allen said Carr was on a pitch count during practice but appears to be on track to start on Sunday when the Saints face the Carolina Panthers. Allen also said that Jake Haener will likely be the backup QB.

Carr has missed the last three games with an oblique injury, and the Saints are hoping he can get the team back on track after losing the last six games. In five games this year, Carr has completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 989 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions with a 100.7 passer rating.

Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler started all three games while Carr was out, and completed 59 of 99 passes for 571 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Rattler was sacked 14 times in those three games.

“Young, developmental quarterback that I’m encouraged and excited about, but not quite there yet,” Allen said of Rattler, per the Saints’ official website. “He needs a little more time in the oven, a little more time to grow, a little more time to develop. And that’ll come.

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“But I would say the same about Jake Haener; I think him coming in – he’s done some good things, he’s worked extremely hard – there were some things that I was encouraged about and yet, it hasn’t been quite what we needed it to be to be able to win some games.”

Carr, 33, joined the Saints last year after spending his first nine seasons with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. In 2023, Carr completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a 97.7 rating.

Earlier this year, Carr talked about working with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. “For me, personally, it was something that you watch from afar, you’re like, ‘Man, that’d be so fun to be a part of.’ I think just how we fit in to what we’re going to be asked to do, I’m just excited about that,” Carr said about Kubiak’s offense, per the Saints’ official website. “I’m sitting there watching the film getting excited because like I said before, it’s going to look different for our fans that have seen it a certain way for a long time. But I think it’s good.”