Saints' Sheldon Rankins suffered strained Achilles, should be fine for offseason work (1 Viewer)

[Andrus]

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins underwent an MRI Monday morning that confirmed his ankle injury isn't serious.

Rankins missed the second half of Sunday's season-ending loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and he said the medical tests revealed a strained Achilles tendon, which was his initial diagnosis.

"The MRI checks out," Rankins said. "I'm good."

Coach Sean Payton also said Monday Rankins' injury wasn't anything significant.

A first-round pick in April, Rankins missed the first seven games of the year after breaking his fibula in training camp. In nine games, he had 20 tackles, three for loss, four sacks, six quarterback hits and one forced fumble.

During the game, Rankins didn't go down in pain, which is why it was a surprise when the team announced his ankle injury in the third quarter.

By Josh Katzenstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

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