National Football League

Source: Saints to place Brandin Cooks on injured reserve

Published Nov. 18, 2014 5:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

The New Orleans Saints will place rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks on injured reserve, says FOX NFL Insider Mike Garafolo and various media reports.

The team originally said Cooks would miss four to six weeks after suffering a broken thumb in Sunday's home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Saints still have not made an announcement regarding this new development, but a source who read the transaction list sent to NFL teams informed Garafolo about the impending move.

Cooks, the No. 20 overall pick in May's NFL Draft, was in the middle of an impressive first year. He led all rookie receivers with 53 catches for 550 yards and three touchdowns and emerged as a reliable target for quarterback Drew Brees. His speed has proved to be quite the threat in the open field.

Cooks had surgery to repair the broken thumb on Monday and tweeted out these messages to the public: