Tag: Sheldon Rankins

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.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”vDu8zMXk2m-1022192-7498″]

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.

[listicle id=39658]

NFL trade deadline: 8 D-linemen the Bills could target

Buffalo Bills defensive lineman the team could target at the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL trade deadline is right around the corner. It’s slated for Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Sitting at 5-2 overall and in control of their own destiny at this point, could the Buffalo Bills add to their arsenal to solidify themselves as a legitimate contender in the AFC? Despite their record, the Bills do certainly have a hole or two they could stand to fill in their roster.

In this part of Bills Wire’s trade deadline coverage, we’ll take a look at a couple of defensive linemen the Bills could target as Tuesday inches closer and closer:

Report: Saints expect Jared Cook, Sheldon Rankins back in the lineup vs. Chargers

The New Orleans Saints will play the Los Angeles Chargers with Jared Cook and Sheldon Rankins returning from injuries but not Michael Thomas

[jwplayer Mb1DtRsN-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints will have some extra help when they host the Los Angeles Chargers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that starting tight end Jared Cook and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins will both be suiting up to play after being listed as questionable on the injury report.

Saturday’s report included a first-time mention of Rankins’ thumb injury, which caused him to practice on a limited basis to close out the week. Cook missed Week 4’s game with the Detroit Lions due to a groin issue. The Saints tight ends combined for just one catch (a 7-yard gain by Josh Hill) in his absence against a weak Lions defense, so getting Cook back versus a stronger Chargers unit should be helpful.

However, the Saints will not be playing alongside wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was expected to return from his Week 1 ankle injury, but he’s been suspended for Week 5’s game after fighting with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson during practice over the weekend. He had been officially questionable to play but was trending towards a return from injury.

Other Saints players who are questionable for Monday night with injuries: defensive end Marcus Davenport (elbow, toe), cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring), and left guard Andrus Peat (ankle). Check back often for updates on their status.

[vertical-gallery id=38860]

Saints free up $4M in cap space through Sheldon Rankins contract restructure

The New Orleans Saints created $4 million in salary cap space by restructuring their contract with DT Sheldon Rankins, a 2021 free agent.

[jwplayer eCHd7tlI-ThvAeFxT]

We’ve got a live one: the New Orleans Saints shuffled some salary cap resources early Saturday morning, with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting that they modified their contract with defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. Rankins was set to earn almost $7.69 million while playing on his fifth-year option in 2020, and that’s still the case. But the Saints got creative to clear $4 million this season.

They added two voidable years onto Rankins’ contract, which was set to expire at the end of the fiscal year next March. New Orleans also converted $6 million of Rankins’ guaranteed salary into a signing bonus, which he’ll receive immediately rather than in incremental game checks over the next few months.

The end result: Rankins has a 2020 salary cap figure of just $3.69 million in 2020, and a dead money hit of $4 million in 2021 should he leave in free agency. If the Saints are able to re-sign him to a long-term contract, he’ll be due at least $2 million in both 2021 and 2022.

So how much salary cap space do the Saints now have to work with? The analysts at Over The Cap estimate $6.08 million in available funds, while the team at Spotrac puts them at $5.1 million. Our in-house spreadsheet has the Saints at $5.4 million below the salary cap.

The Saints could simply be looking to add more resources as they move into the season; they’ll need this cap space to sign free agents after tryouts and maybe make a move at the NFL trade deadline in October. On the other hand, this could be a prelude to a contract extension with Alvin Kamara, which has been expected for several days now per the latest reports.

As for Rankins: this doesn’t change his standing with the team in any way. He already had a reputation as a team-first player, and he’s performed like one of their best playmakers on defense — when healthy. His name did reportedly come up in trade talks at the roster cuts deadline, but nothing came of it. If he can string together 16 productive games in 2020, he could end up back at the negotiating table before free agency next year.

[vertical-gallery id=37715]

Should the Steelers trade for DT Sheldon Rankins before Saturday cuts?

Are the Steelers willing to go all-in for the upcoming season?

[jwplayer omiGPolx-ThvAeFxT]

There’s a rumor going around the NFL that the New Orleans Saints could be releasing former first-round pick Sheldon Rankins but first, they want to try to work out a trade.

The talented defensive tackle came into the league in 2016 and has proven to be worth the pick. But with so much talent on the defensive line, the Saints have supposedly decided Rankins is expendable.

Should the Steelers be buyers?

If the Steelerswante to adequately replace Javon Hargrave, who left for the Philadelphia Eagles, they could have to work a trade. Rankins is going to be in high demand so if the Steelers are interested they are better off getting him before he hits the market.

Rankins is currently playing on his fifth-year option and is set to make $7.7 million this season. Far from ideal for a Steelers team who seems to always be strapped for salary cap but we know the front office guys in Pittsburgh always seem to find a way to make contracts fit.

With the potential of no new contract for Cam Heyward, should the Steelers roll the dice on Rankins in their push for a Super Bowl in 2020 before the salary cap essentially disbands the team? Let us know below.

[vertical-gallery id=475482]

[lawrence-related id=475553]

Report: Saints’ Sheldon Rankins pops up in trade talks

Sheldon Rankins has seen his name in trade talks per Albert Breer.

The Saints and rest of the NFL have to cut down their rosters to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. The way each club gets there is up to them. Cutting players is the most likely choice by many, but trade talks can certainly heat up and one interesting member of the Saints saw his name pop up in such conversations less than 24 hours before that deadline.

According to Albert Breer from the MMQB, Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins has seen his name raised in trade talks prior to that deadline. Rainkins, New Orleans’ first-round pick at the 2016 NFL Draft, played in 10 games last season, notching two sacks and 10 tackles. 4

However, the 26-year-old has battled injuries since joining the Saints. Most recently, he’s suffered from Achilles issues. In 2020, Rankins is playing on the fifth-year option from his rookie deal. Per Spotrac, that fifth-year option pays him $7.7 million this season.

An effort to move Rankins could come about because of other contractual circumstances surrounding the team. On Friday, the Saints were reportedly preparing contract restructures in an effort to sign free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney. In addition, it has recently been reported that running back Alvin Kamara is looking to get a new contract from the team.

 

[lawrence-related id=37476,37472,37469,37467]

Eagles CB Darius Slay calls Fletcher Cox the best “all-around” DT in the NFL

Darius Slay calls Fletcher Cox the best all-around DT in the NFL

Darius Slay and Fletcher Cox were recruited to Mississippi State together, but after the cornerback was forced to attend a junior college after high school, they only officially played one season together as teammates.

That SEC bond is still strong and Cox played a huge role in getting Slay from Detroit to the Philadelphia Eagles via trade.

Cox has already started to indoctrinate Slay on the Eagles culture and recently during an Instagram live session, Slay called Cox the best “all-around” defensive tackle in football.

Slay called Cox one of the best run-stopping and one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the NFL.

A 2018 All-Pro, Cox is still a game wrecker and despite battling injuries last season, he still landed his fifth-straight Pro Bowl appearances.

Slay called Aaron Donald the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in the NFL, while he labeled his former Lions teammate, Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison the best-run stopper in the NFL.

Report: Sheldon Rankins on track to be ready for Saints training camp

The New Orleans Saints reportedly expect to see defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, an injured co-starter, on the field for training camp.

[jwplayer ZWSayYpv-ThvAeFxT]

Here’s a big piece of offseason news for New Orleans Saints fans: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is working towards a training camp return from surgery last December. This was the third lower-leg injury Rankins has suffered in his first four years in the NFL, and this report suggests an answer for why Rankins has struggled so much with Achilles tendon issues.

Underhill also reported that Rankins deals with Haglund’s Deformity, basically an enlarged bone spur on the heel that puts added tension on the Achilles tendon. That constant irritation results in athletes who are more prone to rupturing that tendon, which Rankins experienced late in the 2018 season. In 2019, the Saints medical staff noticed that his other leg was at heightened risk for the same injury, and recommended he undergo preventative surgery.

Because Rankins chose to go under the knife again so soon rather than after the season, he’s benefiting from both that decision and the abbreviated recovery timeline that follows this procedure (as opposed to a full-on ruptured tendon). It all means that he should be back in action when the Saints meet for training camp, which usually kicks off in late July but may be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a situation to watch out for.

So what does this mean for Rankins’ role in 2020? If everything goes the way it’s supposed to, he should again play as a co-starter with David Onyemata at the three-technique position, seeing about 30 to 38 snaps each week. That leaves plenty of room for nose tackle Malcom Brown and backups like Shy Tuttle and Mario Edwards to rotate into the game.

But if Rankins suffers another setback or is outplayed in training camp by another lineman, it’s possible he ends up seeing a reduced role. The Saints have enough depth up front to where he shouldn’t start ahead of a better player just because of his draft status or the success he found several years ago. In a contract year and with his injury history, it’s time he stood out for the right reasons.

[vertical-gallery id=30751]

Just how important was it for the Saints to re-sign David Onyemata?

The New Orleans Saints made re-upping David Onyemata a free agency priority, due to their success against the pass and run with him at DT.

[jwplayer lB6Sj3oF-ThvAeFxT]

Of course it was a big deal when the New Orleans Saints agreed to terms on a contract extension with David Onyemata — the defensive tackle started 15 games last year (only missing Week 1 with a suspension) and led the position in snaps played per game (37.7), splitting time with both Sheldon Rankins (when healthy) and rookie standout Shy Tuttle for much of the year. So keeping him around bodes well for the unit’s immediate future, to say the least.

But let’s really dig into that. The Saints are expected to return all four starters to last year’s defensive line, including Onyemata, nose tackle Malcom Brown, and defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport. Top backups like Rankins (who is really more of a co-starter when healthy, having averaged 41.4 snaps per game in his career), Tuttle, Mario Edwards, and Trey Hendrickson are all also running it back in 2020. And that’s a great thing considering last year’s defensive line was the best in the Sean Payton era, if not the last two decades of Saints football.

As a group, the Saints defense racked up 51 sacks in 2019, their most since Payton took the job as head coach (and the highest total since 2001, when they bagged 53 sacks). They consistently pressured quarterbacks throughout the season, peaking with a nine-sack performance against the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving. Another year of the same group working together, learning each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies, should only help them moving forwards.

But they also weren’t just a one-dimensional unit. The Saints defense, led by a tenacious group up front, paved the way for an NFL-best streak of 43 consecutive games played without allowing a 100-yard rusher. While some opponents passed that mark as a whole and certain running backs threatened it (like Dalvin Cook in the playoffs, with 94 yards gaindd on the ground), the Saints largely held their own and move into the 2020 season with a pronounced strength in run defense.

And much of that is due to the influence Onyemata carries up front. He’s as important to the group’s success as anyone, creating opportunities for teammates by absorbing double-team blocks and plugging run lanes. Even though his contract is pricey, it’s worth it considering the success the Saints have experienced with him in the lineup. Continuity is key in the NFL, and by re-signing Onyemata, the Saints proved they acknowledge that.

[vertical-gallery id=29911]

Saints agree to terms with starting DT David Onyemata, a top pending free agent

The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms with pending free agent David Onyemata, a starting defensive tackle who led that unit in snaps played

[jwplayer XizM497y-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints started their free agency spending spree by agreeing to terms on a contract extension with starting defensive tackle David Onyemata, who was projected to be one of the top earners on the open market. While Onyemata has not signed anything just yet, that’s the only hurdle left before he’ll continue wearing black and gold.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo first reported the news, which was confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Keeping Onyemata around is significant for the Saints, who are returning his co-starter, Sheldon Rankins, from his second season-ending lower leg injury in as many years. It was reported last week that NFL teams expected Onyemata to earn $10 million or more annually on the open market. Stay tuned for details on his exact contract figures.

Onyemata led the Saints in snaps played per game last season (37.7) and figures to again dominate that timeshare next to nose tackle Maclom Brown, though Rankins and second-year pro Shy Tuttle should each push for more snaps, especially once Rankins has recovered from his recent injury. Onyemata had a career-high 11 quarterback hits (plus three sacks) in 2019, as many as the previous two years combined, and is continuing to trend upwards as a young interior lineman with through-the-roof athleticism.

[vertical-gallery id=29911]