New Orleans Saints Defender Tore Achilles in Offseason, Out Indefinitely

The NFL offseason can often include brutal season-ending injuries, resulting in starting players having to sit out an entire season. While most of these injuries occur in training camp and preseason games, extenuating circumstances can often strike at the worst moments.

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The New Orleans Saints are the first NFL team to be hit with a key injury for 2024-25, as the team announced defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon has torn his Achilles and will be out indefinitely.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen addressed the media, stating, “Tanoh tore his Achilles in the offseason, so he is going to be out for a while.”

Allen did not offer any more details about how Kpassagnon tore his Achilles, but the edge rusher will not be available for an extended period. He might also miss the entire season, depending on his recovery time.

Kpassagnon was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and spent four seasons with the team, racking up seven sacks, 75 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 18 quarterback hits. The Saints signed Kpassagnon to a two-year contract in 2021, and he has since spent the last three seasons with the team.

During his three-season stint with the Saints, Kpassagnon has secured 9.5 sacks, 65 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 23 quarterback hits. In the 2023 season, Kpassagnon brought in 3.5 sacks, 19 tackles, four tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits.

Losing Kpassagnon is a huge hit for the Saints, as he was a good rotation piece behind Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson. The good news is that the team can still implement Chase Young into the defensive attack to replace the production that Kpassagnon likely would have provided.

According to the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, an Achilles tear can take anywhere from six to nine months to recover from. Kpassagnon might return this season, but it would likely be somewhere in the December to January area.

Using Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers as an example, he tore his Achilles during Week 1 of last season — Sept. 2023. Rodgers was ready to return to action in January, but only wanted to return if the Jets were set to make a playoff push.

The same might happen for Kpassagnon, should the Saints be ready for a playoff push in the December-to-January range. This also all depends on the recovery time for the defensive end. Rodgers was “fully” recovered in around five months’ time, but that does not mean that Kpassagnon will bounce back in the same manner. Either way, this is a huge loss for New Orleans.