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Saints' Kiko Alonso Suffers Torn ACL

It's one thing to lose, but another thing to lose a key defensive player going into next season.

John Hendrix

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints are looking to the offseason after an unexpected early playoff loss, and now it looks like one of their key defensive players will be rehabbing during it. Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, linebacker Kiko Alonso suffered a torn ACL in Sunday's Wild Card loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Alonso went down towards the end of the second quarter during a running play near the Saints end zone, which later led to a Dan Bailey field goal. Alonso briefly visited the blue medical tent and would head to the locker room. He was originally deemed questionable to return, but would be later ruled out with a knee injury. Per the report, Alonso is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to start the new season. It's his third career ACL injury.

Since coming over from the Miami Dolphins via trade, Alonso had increasingly got better with the Saints. He appeared in 285 snaps (26.8 percent) for Dennis Allen's defense in 2019, finishing with 31 total tackles (six solo, 25 assisted), three tackles for loss and a pass defended. He's under contract through 2020 with a current cap hit of $6.4 million, which is something the Saints could look to rework if Alonso is in next year's plans.

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net

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