Saints DE will miss start of season due to Achilles tear

Well before the 2024 season, the Saints’ front seven was dealt a blow. Speaking to the media at OTAs on Tuesday, head coach Dennis Allen said defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon suffered an offseason Achilles tear. 

Allen added that Kpassagnon will miss at least the start of the coming campaign due to the injury. However, he left open the possibility of a return sometime in 2024. The 29-year-old has spent the past three seasons in New Orleans, logging 10 starts in 40 games.

He has maintained a steady rotational role along the edge during that span. Kpassagnon — who served as a full-time starter in 2020, the final season of his Chiefs tenure — has posted 4.0, 2.0 and 3.5 sacks during his Saints campaigns. He was in line to continue as a key depth contributor in 2024, but this injury will delay his debut or keep him off the field altogether. Considering the Villanova product is a pending free agent, the timing of the Achilles tear is particularly problematic.

New Orleans ranked just 28th in the league in sacks last season, one of the reasons the team made a notable (albeit one-year) investment in Chase Young during free agency. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year is sidelined as he recovers from offseason neck surgery. Young is still on track to take part in training camp, though, something which will not be true of Kpassagnon. Meanwhile, Cameron Jordan is rehabbing from ankle surgery and is aiming to be available for the end of OTAs.

The Saints also have Carl Granderson (who led the team in sacks in 2023), 2021 first-rounder Payton Turner, and 2023 second-rounder Isaiah Foskey in place along the edge. They will be counted on to help New Orleans try to take a step forward regarding sack production in Kpassagnon’s absence. It will be interesting to see if the latter manages to return in time to see game action in 2024 or if his injury will linger through the campaign and hinder his free-agent value.