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Saints defensive end Alex Okafor was injured during today’s practice with an apparent leg injury. Trainers tended to him before he walked off under his own power with a noticeable limp.
Saints DE Alex Okafor suffered an apparent leg injury today. Players were silent as trainers tended to him, but extent unclear for now.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) August 15, 2018
Members of the team were visibly concerned, dropping to a knee and remaining silent as the trainers worked with him. Okafor is coming off an Achilles injury that prematurely ended his 2017 campaign. Prior to his season ended, Okafor had 4 1⁄2 sacks, 43 tackles and 2 forced fumbles while being one of the team’s better run defenders.
Depth along the defensive line is considered one of New Orleans’ greatest strengths heading into the 2018 season, but that can quickly change if injures begin to plague the team like they did last season.
For now, this provides an opportunity for Trey Hendrickson and Marcus Davenport to fill Alex’s shoes if he’s not able to return quickly. Assuming he is not ready to go by the Saints and Cardinals game this Friday (August 17) players like Mitchell Loewen, Jayrone Elliott and Al-Quadin Muhammad will also get more snaps.
Update: 8/15/2018 10:15 PM
It appears the Saints have received good news regarding Okafor’s injury earlier today. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport was informed it was just a bone bruise and a sprained knee and not something more significant.
#Saints DE Alex Okafor survived a scare at practice today. Following his MRI after what appeared at first to be a serious injury, Okafor has just a bone bruise and a sprained knee, sources say. This is best-case scenario for New Orleans and their key pass-rusher.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 16, 2018
Update: 8/16/2018 8:15 A.M.
Ian Rapoport later amended his originally tweet saying that the injury Okafor sustained was an ankle sprain and not a knee sprain as previously reported.