Saints OT Trevor Penning Suffers Foot Injury; Will He Play Week 1 vs. Falcons?

Penning was drafted in the first round of this year's NFL Draft.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 27, 2022

Saints OT Trevor Penning Suffers Foot Injury; Will He Play Week 1 vs. Falcons? /

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Atlanta Falcons

The New Orleans Saints suffered a crushing blow Saturday as their rookie offensive tackle Trevor Penning tore a ligament in his foot. NFL Network was the first to report the news.

Penning, the 19th overall pick in April's NFL Draft, was competing for the starting left tackle job, but it appears he won't be able to see the field at the beginning of the season. With the Atlanta Falcons on the schedule Week 1, it looks like the rookie might miss his debut.

This is a difficult situation for the Saints considering the team traded back into the first round to select a second player. The team also picked Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave with the No. 11 pick.

Penning has made the headlines for the wrong reasons this summer. He was kicked out of practice multiple times at the early part of training camp after starting multiple fights with his teammates.

With Penning out, it could mean good news for the Falcons' pass rush, which is looking to bounce back this season. Atlanta only recorded 18 sacks a year ago, a number it is hoping to increase this season.

James Hurst, a nine-year veteran who went undrafted in 2014, is expected to be the team's starter with Penning out. Hurst is in his third season with the Saints and has started 23 games for the team since 2020.

The Falcons meet the Saints in two weeks on Sept. 11 to kick off the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Published Aug 27, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.