ESPN: Saints quarterback Tyler Shough playing with two broken bones in left hand
Tyler Shough has continued playing and practicing despite a reported injury to his non-throwing hand. The Saints have listed a left-hand injury but have not confirmed the diagnosis.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough has been playing with two broken bones in his non-throwing left hand, ESPN reported on Oct. 18, citing sources. The injury has changed how he makes handoffs, but he has not missed playing time. The Saints have listed a left-hand injury on their practice reports without publicly confirming the diagnosis, according to ESPN.
How Shough has played with the hand injury
ESPN’s sources said Shough hurt the hand on Oct. 5, when New Orleans lost 45-24 to the Atlanta Falcons. ESPN reported that he has taped his left ring and pinky fingers together and wore a protective glove over a heavily bandaged hand against the Minnesota Vikings. In that game, he used his right hand for handoffs instead of the left, which he normally uses.
The Saints’ Oct. 7 injury report listed Shough as limited in practice because of a left-hand injury. Their Oct. 15 report listed the same injury but recorded him as a full participant on both Wednesday and Thursday. ESPN reported that he had remained a full practice participant since sustaining the injury, while the team’s Oct. 7 report records one limited session.
The hand issue comes as the Saints try to recover from a 1-4 start. Shough threw for a career-low 96 yards and two interceptions in a 23-13 loss to Minnesota. He had completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,299 yards through five games, according to ESPN. Those figures describe his season so far; they do not establish how much the hand injury affected his passing against the Vikings.
Saints’ schedule and Shough’s recovery
ESPN’s sources expected the broken bones to take weeks to heal, with one source estimating a couple of months. That estimate has not been confirmed by the Saints. New Orleans was scheduled to face the New York Giants on Oct. 18, then play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris the following week before a bye week. ESPN reported that Shough was expected to keep using his right hand for handoffs while the left-hand injury remained a problem.
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Sources and context
- Sources: Saints QB Tyler Shough playing with 2 broken bones in non-throwing handESPN
- Saints Thursday Injury Report: 2026 Week 6 vs. New York GiantsNew Orleans Saints
- Saints Wednesday Injury Report: 2026 Week 5 vs. Minnesota VikingsNew Orleans Saints
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.