New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Rankins officially active for 49ers contest
This is the moment Saints fans have been waiting for since the team made Sheldon Rankins the 12th pick in the 2016 NLF Draft.
Jun 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (99) during the final day of minicamp at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Since suffering a broken fibula in the 2016 preseason, defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins has watched his rookie season from the sidelines. NFL rules for players on injured reserve on which Rankins was placed following his injury only allow one player on IR to return. That player has to be out for six weeks and then practice for two weeks, prior to being eligible to return to action.
Late Saturday afternoon the Saints made the announcement that Rankins was indeed added to the active roster and will likely see his first NFL regular season playing time against the San Francisco 49ers.
With defensive linemen Tyler Davison and Nick Fairley playing well to this point in the season, it remains to be seen where and when Rankins will play, and it’s likely he’ll be on a very limited snap count against the 49ers.
His versatility allows him to potentially play any position along the defensive line including defensive end.
To make room for Rankins on the roster, the Saints placed linebacker James Laurinaitis on season ending injured reserve. Laurinaitis was expected to bring leadership to the defense after a successful career with the Rams. However, he has been ineffective at middle linebacker for the Black and Gold. He has been replaced by Craig Robertson, another 2016 offseason free agent pick up, who has performed far above expectations.
Who Dat Nation will surely be pumped to finally get a look at Rankins this season. I’m sure he’s more than ready to get in there and do some damage.
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