The Facts: Reports on Monday morning that Cooks broke his thumb during Sunday’s loss to the Bengals were correct and Cooks wasted very little time starting on the road back to the lineup. Cooks’s agent Jeff Sperbeck announced on Twitter Monday that his client has already undergone successful surgery to repair the injury. While the earlier reports were that Cooks would miss 2-4 weeks as a result of the injury, Sperbeck provides a slightly longer timeline of 4-6 weeks before the rookie would be able to return to the lineup.
Diehards Line:The problem? There are only six weeks left in the season unless the Saints make the playoffs, so it’s no sure thing that Cooks will play again this year. A player coming back from such an injury on a 4-6 team would have a good chance of being shut down in most cases, but the Saints play in the NFC South and that means there’s plenty still to play for in New Orleans this season. With Cooks out of the lineup, Kenny Stills, Robert Meachem and Nick Toon could see an increased role in the offense over the next few weeks.