During the “Thursday Night Football” game against the Denver Broncos, cornerback Paulson Adebo of the New Orleans Saints had to be taken off the field in a cart early in the second quarter.

Adebo sustained the injury while tackling Broncos running back Javonte Williams. Following the impact, he immediately clutched his right leg, prompting the Saints’ medical team to apply an air cast before transporting him to the locker room.

There was a significant delay as medical staff worked on Adebo’s injury. Later in the broadcast, Kaylee Hartung from Amazon Prime Video reported that he was transferred to a local hospital via ambulance.

Update on Paulson Adebo’s Injury

After the game, Saints head coach Dennis Allen informed the media that Adebo had fractured his femur, which the National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes as the “longest, heaviest, and strongest human bone.”

Allen mentioned that Adebo is expected to have surgery to repair the injury later that night.

As per Johns Hopkins Medicine, healing from a broken femur typically takes four to six months. While patients may start engaging in various activities before reaching full recovery, Adebo’s season is now finished.

A study published in 2015 in the Journal of Athletic Training indicated that athletes can return to their previous performance levels after experiencing a femoral fracture. On average, it took roughly nine and a half months for the athletes in that study to return to the field after the injury.

Who is the Backup for Paulson Adebo on the Saints’ Roster?

During the Week 7 “Thursday Night Football” game, the Saints lost both starting cornerbacks due to injuries. Following Adebo’s leg injury early in the second quarter, Marshon Lattimore was also ruled out after injuring his hamstring late in the third quarter.

Rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry is listed as the main backup for Lattimore on the Saints’ depth chart, while third-year player Alontae Taylor is backing up Adebo.

Rico Payton, an undrafted rookie free agent, is the only other healthy cornerback on the squad. Before the Week 7 match against the Broncos, he participated in 10 defensive snaps and 86 special team plays, and recorded one tackle during the game.

Statistics for Paulson Adebo

Prior to his injury, Adebo made six total tackles (three solo) in the game against the Broncos.

For the current season, the fourth-year cornerback recorded three interceptions, 46 total tackles, and led the league with 10 passes defended over six games.