METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux suffered a setback in his recovery from a broken leg, which could sideline him for another three to six weeks, a source confirmed.
The news was first reported by NFL Network.
That puts Breaux's season in jeopardy, considering that the Saints have until next week to decide whether to activate him onto their 53-man roster.
Breaux began the season on injured reserve after breaking his fibula during training camp. The Saints designated him to return to practice two weeks ago, starting a 21-day window to decide whether to activate him.
Teams are allowed to use two such designations per year. The Saints still have one left to use on another player if anyone on their current injured reserve winds up being healthy enough to return this year. Right tackle Zach Strief is one possibility.
The nature of Breaux's setback is unclear. He was not present for Friday's practice after he had been practicing for the past two weeks.
Another lost season would be a huge disappointment for Breaux, who was limited to six games last season because of a broken fibula.
Breaux, 27, had a breakout year in his first NFL season in 2015 after he signed with his hometown Saints from the Canadian Football League, emerging as their No. 1 cornerback and playing at nearly a Pro Bowl level.
That completed Breaux's remarkable recovery from a broken neck in high school, which prevented him from playing college football.
The only saving grace for New Orleans is that its secondary has been playing so well without Breaux during its five-game win streak that there isn't any urgent need to return him to the lineup. Even though Breaux talked earlier this week about feeling fully recovered, Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen suggested that the Saints probably wouldn't add him back into the lineup right away.
Rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore has been playing at a lock-down level as a leading candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Second-year cornerback Ken Crawley has been very solid. The Saints use three or four safeties in their nickel and dime packages (Kenny Vaccaro, Marcus Williams, Vonn Bell and Rafael Bush).
"We certainly don't want to do anything that disrupts what we've been able to do over the last five weeks of the season, and so we feel comfortable with where we're at," Allen said Friday. "And yet at the same time, man, you can never have enough good players."