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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff Writer
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon tore an Achilles tendon in the offseason, coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday.
Kpassagnon will not be ready for the beginning of the season, but Allen did not rule out a return in 2024.
“He won’t be ready for training camp and then we’ll see how long it takes for him to recover,” Allen said after the team practiced Tuesday.
Allen said the injury occurred during an offseason running drill in the Saints indoor facility but did not specify when it happened.
Kpassagnon, who turns 30 in June, was set to enter his fourth season in New Orleans as part of the Saints’ pass-rush rotation.
He is now one of multiple players on the defensive line dealing with an offseason rehab process. Chase Young, who signed with the Saints in free agency, is out indefinitely due to an offseason neck procedure. Cameron Jordan is also recovering from offseason ankle surgery.
“It’s unfortunate when there’s injuries that happen ahead of you, and yet it’s an opportunity for you to step in and get an opportunity for more reps, potentially more playing time, all types of things,” Allen said.
Kpassagnon was a second-round draft pick for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. He spent four seasons with the Chiefs and started 15 games there in 2020. He has 16.5 career sacks (9.5 in New Orleans).
He has played in 40 games for the Saints with 10 starts. All three of his sacks last season came against the New York Giants and quarterback Tommy DeVito in Week 14.
“He’s been a valuable part of what we do defensively. I think there’s some versatility in terms of things he can do,” Allen said. “It’s unfortunate that that happened … he’s going to work as hard as he possibly can to get himself back out there as soon as he can. When that is, I don’t know.”