METAIRIE, La. – Sean Payton confirmed a NBC report that New Orleans Saints guard Jahri Evans had arthroscopic surgery on his knee about a week and a half ago.
Payton didn’t offer any other specifics or any timetable. But it is possible for players to return from knee scopes within a month. It depends on the specifics of Evans’ injury.
The Saints’ offensive line has battled inconsistency both with and without the six-time Pro Bowler in the lineup this year. Evans’ replacement, Senio Kelemete, performed well in Week 3 at Carolina. But Kelemete struggled at times along with the rest of the line in both pass protection and run blocking Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
“Going through last night’s game, there’s some positive plays. He’s pretty active, he’s athletic. And yet there’s some sets and some landmarks that we’ve got to continue to improve on,” Payton said of Kelemete. “We were too inconsistent … in the running game. We had some opportunities. Look, he’s a grinder, and he’s a guy that’s smart and will work his tail off. And just getting the playing time is helping him. Yet it’s happening at a fast pace right now.”