New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is on schedule to make his 2019 season debut, just eight months removed from a ruptured Achilles tendon, and he’ll play more than just a bit part. Per Ed Werder of ESPN, Saints coaches are expecting to play Rankins on about 30 defensive snaps.
Last week, on the road against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, the Saints defense played an abnormal 83 snaps on defense. The saw more-typical snap counts of 67 and 64 plays in their previous two games, so it’s looking like Rankins will be on the field for roughly half the game — if he passes final inspection by team medical staff during pregame warmups.
It’s a little surprising to see Rankins back in action so soon, much less with these kind of expectations. He’s been listed as a limited participant in practice on every daily injury report the Saints have published since the season started, so putting him into a prime time game with this kind of workload in mind is a bold move. Hopefully he isn’t rushing into it before his body’s ready.
While the Saints defensive line has produced well in his absence, there’s no question that Rankins is one of the unit’s best players when healthy. He ranked second on the team in sacks (8), quarterback hits (15), and tackles for loss (12) a year ago, and as Werder pointed out, he has a great matchup against Cowboys left guard Connor Williams on Sunday. The second-year starter has been a weak link in the Cowboys offensive line, allowing quarterback Dak Prescott to be pressured into throwing an interception and several off-target passes while also being at fault on a few holding penalties. If Rankins is feeling well, he can do a lot to disrupt the Cowboys game plan
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