Report: Saints DT Sheldon Rankins to Miss Multiple Weeks
The injury woes continue for New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.
Nick Underhill of New Orleans.Football reported on Sunday night that Rankins suffered an MCL injury during the Saints' 26-23 overtime win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday in Chicago and is expected to miss "about three weeks".
A 2016 first-round draft selection by New Orleans out of Louisville, Rankins suffered a broken leg as a rookie, before tearing an Achilles tendon in a Divisional Round playoff game against the Eagles following the 2018 regular season, before missing the last few games of last season with an ankle injury.
The good news is that Underhill says that Rankins avoided any major damage, such as a torn ACL, or any sort of major structural damage.
The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Rankins was taken by the Saints with the 12th-overall selection of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Louisville.
As a rookie in 2016, Rankins appeared in nine games following his leg injury, compiling 20 tackles, including four sacks.
In 2017, his first year as a starter, Rankins racked up 26 tackles, including two sacks over all 16 games.
In 2018, his best season, Rankins started all 16 games, recording 40 tackles, including 8 sacks, which ranked second on the squad, behind only Cameron Jordan.
Last season, Rankins appeared in ten games, all as a reserve, totaling ten tackles, including two sacks.
Over parts of six games this season, including one as a starter, Rankins has registered ten tackles, including one sack.
In parts of five NFL seasons, the 26-year old Rankins has appeared in 57 games, including 33 as a starter, accumulating 106 tackles, including 17.0 sacks.