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Bad news comes in pairs for the New Orleans Saints these days. Just hours after starting defensive end Marcus Davenport’s season was reported to be over with a foot injury, reports flooded in saying that defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is likely to close out the year with an ankle issue. While Rankins is considering every possible, options, there doesn’t appear to be a path for him to return to play this year. Both defensive linemen were injured in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The first report of Rankins’ murky status came from John Hendrix of Sports Illustrated; NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed it to be a significant injury. The easy excuse to point to in this latest lower-leg injury for Rankins would be his quick return from last year’s ruptured Achilles, but Nola.com’s Luke Johnson clarified that Rankins injured his right ankle, while that Achilles injury occurred in his left leg. They aren’t related problems.
These are a series of blows to New Orleans’ deepest position, which is the only silver lining to the situation. The Saints have run so deep along the defensive line that Taylor Stallworth, a player who logged 365 snaps a year ago including the playoffs, was demoted to the practice squad. He’s likely to get called up should Rankins go on injured reserve, as is expected.
Still, there’s no other way to spin this: it’s a big setback for Rankins, who has battled hard to help his team and stay on the field after injuries limited his first few years in the NFL. His rookie season was abbreviated after he broke his leg in training camp, and the Achilles tear obviously ended his 2018 campaign. Now, he’ll be finishing 2019 with more time in the trainers’ room. It has to be frustrating for him, but he’s proven he can bounce back before. It’s not for nothing that his teammates chose him for the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award. Here’s to a speedy recovery.
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