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Which domino will be the next to tip over on the New Orleans Saints offseason? It could be the departure of Sheldon Rankins, the team’s first round draft pick back in 2016. SI.com’s Conor Orr reported that Rankins received interest “from roughly a dozen teams,” before the new league year began on March 17, but it’s been a quiet market for defensive tackles. Especially defensive tackles with a history of leg injuries and quiet streaks in their stats sheet.
But Rankins expressed confidence that those worries were behind him. In a film study session with Orr, he reflected on his recovery from multiple Achilles tendon surgeries: “The healthier I got the better I felt and the more I was able to play like me. There’s no limitations. I’m ready to get back to doing the things I’m accustomed to doing.”
Rankins also pointed to a five-game series that began in December and ended in January’s playoffs as proof of his recovery, and as a better description of the player teams would get by signing him. He bagged several pressures and tackles for loss in that month of action, and feels like that’s how he should be perceived around the league.
We’ll just have to wait and see where he goes next. Injuries dampened expectations for him coming out of Louisville back to his rookie training camp, and he’s had tough luck with his health ever since. Here’s hoping he enjoys better health in the years ahead and can get back to playing at a high level — possibly with the Saints, if his market remains cool and they can meet at an agreeable price point.
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