METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints plan to start Drew Brees on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, coach Sean Payton said Friday.
"I think he's planning on it, and I think we're planning on starting him based on the workweek and the reps," Payton said. "He's thrown well. I thought he looked sharp today."
Asked whether there is anything that could get in the way of Brees starting, Payton said, "No; just like I said, he's taking the reps, he looks good."
The Saints listed Brees as probable on their injury report.
"Each day you just pay attention to how he's functioning. He looked crisp today. So I think he's gonna end up starting," Payton said. "Based on the way the week unfolded, each day I felt like he has made the progress we were looking for. Deep balls and all that stuff. So it was good."
Brees missed Sunday's game at Carolina because of a bruised rotator cuff suffered in Week 2 -- the first time he had missed a game due to injury since high school.
But Brees made steady progress all week, starting with a visit to Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama, and continuing with regular practice reps each day.
Not only is Brees expected back, but defenders Jairus Byrd, Keenan Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe could all make their 2015 debuts Sunday. Only guard Jahri Evans was ruled out for the second straight week with a knee injury while the rest of the team was listed no worse than probable.
The Saints hope Brees' return can provide a much-needed boost to a team that has started 0-3 this season and has lost six straight games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief said backup quarterback Luke McCown was "fantastic" last week in a 27-22 loss at Carolina, "but there's a reason that Drew is who he is."
"You want your best guys in the game ... especially in a game that obviously is important for us because we can't keep losing," said Strief.
Payton and Brees have both insisted that the quarterback wouldn't play if he didn't have the strength and functionality needed to make every throw. So Brees is not expected to be limited to shorter throws.
But New Orleans' offense has struggled to get the ball downfield all season, with Brees and McCown in the lineup.
The Saints have only three passing plays of 25 yards or more this season. Their passers are completing just 18.2 percent of attempts thrown 20-plus yards downfield this season with zero touchdowns, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
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