Canal Street Chronicles
Well, it happened again.
Last week, after the New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals, it was announced that safety Julian Blackmon is expected to be ruled out for the rest of the season. This was a big hit to the defense, and the announcement felt like it dropped out of nowhere. During the actual game, it never felt like a season-ending injury ever occurred.
Before I keep going, let me say I hate the feeling of déjà vu, and even more so when it relates to bad news.
Today, in another shocking announcement, Saints rookie defensive tackle Vernon Broughton is expected to be ruled out for the rest of the season with a hip injury, per Mike Garafolo.
This past matchup against the San Francisco 49ers was Broughton’s first NFL game, and he made some big plays for the defense. The performance was nowhere near perfect, but it was good in a first regular-season game for a more developmental defensive tackle. In a rebuilding season, these are the types of performances that you need to see, but they must also be sustained throughout the season, and this injury prevents that from happening.
In next week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, I would expect second-year defensive tackle Khristian Boyd to take over Broughton’s spot.
