For the second time in two months, a member of the Saints defense has suffered an ugly injury.
First-round pick Sheldon Rankins is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after suffering a broken fibula during practice on Monday, according to NFL.com. The defensive lineman suffered the injury during a goal line drill. Rankins was carted off the field immediately after suffering the injury at the Saints' training camp site in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
After practice, Saints coach Sean Payton was still hopeful that the injury wouldn't be serious.
"We'll get an update and we'll keep you posted, but we're trying to get the reps in and obviously you never want to see a player go down," coach Sean Payton said after practice. "Hopefully the news is good."
Unfortunately for Payton, the only good news is that Rankins isn't out for the season. The No. 12 overall pick would've likely been a Week 1 starter this season, but now, due to the injury, he likely won't see the field until a Week 6 against the Panthers.
The injury to Rankins could mean more playing time for two newcomers -- Nick Fairley and David Onyemata. Fairley was signed as a free agent this offseason, while Onyemata came in after the Saints selected him with a fourth-round pick in this year's draft.
New Orleans also has Tyeler Davison and John Jenkins on the defensive line.
Rankins' injury comes two months after the Saints lost pass-rusher Hau'oli Kikaha to a season-ending ACL tear. Kikaha started 11 games for the team in 2015.
The Saints had one of the NFL's worst defenses in 2015, so every defensive injury is especially concerning for a unit that can't really afford them. Not only did the Saints defense give up more points than any other team in the NFL last season, but it also gave up the most rush yards per play (4.9) and pass yards per play in 2015 (8.7).
Even uglier? The Saints also gave up 45 touchdown passes in 2015, which is the highest-total in NFL history.
