Sean Payton said Saints planning to start Drew Brees vs. Cowboys

The plan as of Friday afternoon is for Drew Brees to return to the lineup for the New Orleans Saints, who are desperate at 0-3, in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Saints head coach Sean Payton said after Friday's practice that the plan is to go with Brees, who is battling through a shoulder injury and who missed his first game because of injury as a Saint last week.

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“I think he’s planning on starting, and we’re planning on starting him,” Payton said. “He looked crisp [Friday]. I think he’s going to end up starting, and based on the way the week unfolded each day I felt like he’s made the progress we’re looking for.”

So Brees is starting. We think.

Brees missed the Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, struggling to throw downfield in the loss. When he couldn't generate enough velocity on his passes through limited practice last week, the Saints shut Brees down and turned to Luke McCown, who played respectably well in the loss to the Panthers.

The Cowboys will be the team with the backup quarterback in this game Sunday night, having turned to Brandon Weeden after Tony Romo went down in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles and sidelined indefinitely.

Quarterback injuries have been a major story around the NFL this season. Who would have thought that the Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck would be less likely to play this week than Brees?

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm