Saints First-Round DL Sheldon Rankins Undergoing Surgery For Broken Fibula, Hoping To Be Out 6 Weeks

Update:

Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Saints first-round DT Sheldon Rankins will undergo surgery on broken fibula Tuesday, source says.

• According to Garafolo, Rankins made the decision to undergo surgery late on Monday after consulting Dr. Robert Anderson.
• As of now, the hope is that this will be around a six-week recovery for Rankins, but the timeframe will be clearer after the surgery is complete.

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Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Saints first-round pick Sheldon Rankins is believed to have suffered a broken fibula based on initial tests.

• Rapoport adds that Rankins could end up being a candidate to be placed on injured reserve and return later on in the season.
• Nick Underhill reports that Rankins will likely need surgery, but it’s not believed to be season-ending. Underhill adds that Rankins is going to get a second opinion on the injury.
• According to Adam Schefter, Rankins is expected to be sidelined for around six-eight weeks following this injury.

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Saints first-round DL Sheldon Rankins was carted off the field during Monday’s practice after he went down with an injury during goal-line drills, per Jeff Duncan.

According to Duncan, the team’s medical staff was looking at Rankins’ lower left leg while his teammates gathered around.

Rankins, 22, was taken with the No. 12 overall pick by the Saints. Rankins was brought in to bolster the Saints interior defensive line depth and offer them some pass-rush ability from the middle of their defense.

According to OverTheCap.com, Rankins receives a four-year contract worth $12,801,646 to go along with a signing bonus of $7,510,288. The contract will include a fifth-year option for the team to consider in 2019.

During his four years at Louisville, Rankins recorded 133 tackles, 31.5 tackles for a loss, 18 sacks, two forced fumbles, two recoveries, two interceptions and four pass defenses.

We’ll have more updates regarding Rankins’ injury as the news is available.