The Saints have fired team orthopedists Deryk Jones and Misty Suri, according to ESPN.com's Mike Triplett, after cornerback Delvin Breaux was discovered to have a broken fibula following the original diagnosis that it was just a bruise.
Breaux, whom the team was reportedly open to trading in the days leading up to this latest development, will have surgery and miss 4-6 weeks. Coach Sean Payton was "livid over the latest issue," writes Triplett who adds that "there had been other incidents of frustration with the medical staff in the past."
Breaux emerged as the Saints' No. 1 cornerback during the 2015 season, but he suffered a broken fibula during the regular-season opener in 2016 and appeared in just six games. The fracture is thought to be to the same leg but it's not believed to be a re-occurrence of the same injury.
The Saints ranked 30th in pass defense last year, according to Football Outsiders, and Breaux's return was going to help mitigate that. Now, however, the team will have to rely on a group of young players, including 2017 first-round pick Marshon Lattimore, who has been impressive through the early part of training camp.
Meanwhile, Jones and Suri, who had been longtime doctors on the Saints' staff, also worked for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans.
