The Patriots have placed wide receiver Brandon Gibson on season-ending injured reserve, thinning an already depleted receiving corps.
Gibson, who had been impressive in camp and two preseason games, left the field after a fourth-quarter hit and had his right leg examined. He had caught a team-high eight passes for 68 yards against the Saints on Saturday night.
"This is really a cruel game at times," said Patriots receiver and special teams ace Matthew Slater. "When you sign up to play this game, you understand that there are inherent risks and the injury rate is 100 percent. But you never want to see it happen to your guy or to yourself, obviously.
"Our prayers are with him and everyone else who has sustained injury around the league. You hate to see it happen. It's an unfortunate part of our game."
"It's really unfortunate," said Danny Amendola, who played with Gibson in St. Louis from 2009-12. "He's a great football player, and there's no doubt in my mind that he'll get his knee back and rehab it and get out there as soon as he can.
"Brandon and I have formed a strong relationship over the past five or six years that we've been together. Obviously, my heart sank when I found out [about the injury]. He has a lot of support in our room, and we've got his back, so his spirits are high."
Gibson, 28, is a veteran of six NFL seasons with Philadelphia (2009), St. Louis (2009-12) and Miami (2013-14). The 6-foot, 210-pounder, was signed by the Patriots as a free agent in March. Last season, Gibson played in 14 games with five starts for Miami and caught 29 passes for 295 yards and one touchdown. His 2013 season was cut short by a torn left patella.
New England Patriots
The Patriots agreed to a deal with receiver Reggie Wayne on Monday, which will help bolster the depth of the Patriots receiver group, but injuries to that position have taken their toll. Brandon LaFell (spotted in the locker room without a walking boot), Julian Edelman and Aaron Dobson have not played in either of the team's two preseason games as they deal with injuries.
The team also announced on Monday afternoon that it had re-signed linebacker D.J. Lynch.