Reports: Sheldon Rankins to miss several weeks with MCL injury

The New Orleans Saints will be without defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins after he suffered a knee injury against the Chicago Bears in Week 8.

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New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins exited Sunday’s game with the Chicago Bears with a leg injury that initially looked very serious — so much so that the FOX broadcast team chose to not replay it after it happened.

But Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports that Rankins was diagnosed with an MCL injury, a knee issue that should sideline  him for roughly three weeks. It’s a far cry from the initial fear of a potentially season-ending injury. Nola.com’s Luke Johnson confirmed the first report.

With Rankins out of action, the Saints are going to have to rely on recent undrafted free agent finds like Shy Tuttle and Malcolm Roach in the rotation behind starting defensive tackle David Onyemata and nose tackle Malcom Brown. But maybe this absence puts extra pressure on the Saints to make an impactful trade before the NFL’s deadline on Nov. 3.

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