He won't be on the field in Week 15, but the Saints got a welcome bit of news on Friday: Payton Turner is back to practice.
The defensive end and former first round pick had his practice window opened up as he continues to work back from a turf toe injury suffered in Week 1. While he's been ruled out for the game against the Giants, it's a major step in the right direction for a potential return.
"It’s just nice to get some reps in and just kind of test out the foot a little bit," he said on Friday. "First time really getting some get-offs with the guys, so felt good to be out there.”
It's been a long and frustrating absence for Turner, who has battled significant injuries in each of his three NFL seasons. Since being drafted No. 28 overall out of Houston, Turner has appeared in just 14 of 47 possible games due to injury, logging 29 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks.
This one, though, was the most difficult test. The 24-year-old says he's actually ahead of schedule, which is a good indicator that this was not your run-of-the-mill bout of turf toe. The injury included dislocations of the big toe and second toe on his right foot. All the ligaments were torn on the bottom part of the foot, which took surgery to repair.
"It’s about as bad as it gets," he said.
The injury was particularly frustrating considered the impressive preseason he had put together. While landing behind Carl Granderson, Turner was expected to be an important piece in a pass rush that was moving on from another first-round pick in Marcus Davenport, who departed for the Vikings in free agency. Turner was challenged by coaches to step up in his work and preparation, and he did exactly that. He was one of just a handful of players to not miss a single camp practice due to injury and flashed multiple times in the preseason.
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All that work led to a cart ride off the field during a Week 1 win over the Titans and a frustrating wait before being visibly back around the team more and more involved in team over the past month-plus. He's been on the field for the past several games, and traveled with the team to Atlanta in Week 12.
“I was really frustrated at first, just because I felt like I put myself in a position to have a successful year and just put a lot of work in and then, you know, through that frustration I just found a lot of focus on just getting back," he said. "Even now I’m ahead of schedule. I just feel a lot of focus getting back to what I was and what I can be, so I’m excited. It’s been a long road, but I’m getting toward the end of the tunnel.”
The upcoming schedule could make a return in Week 16 unlikely as well, with a short week before a date with the L.A. Rams on Thursday Night Football. But the target for multiple injured players appears to be Week 17 and a pivotal NFC South showdown against the Bucs. If the Saints can handle their business the next two weeks, that game, as well as the season finale against the Falcons, could hold the keys to an NFC South crown and home playoff game. Each of those three teams is currently tied atop the division at 6-7.
Turner has his goals ahead of him in a potential return, which could serve to help boost those chances in bolstering a pass rush that has only logged 24 sacks on the year, which is tied for the third fewest in the league.
“[I want to prove] that I can be a dominant player, that I can come back and have that success, everything I did in this past offseason, it wasn’t for a waste," Turner said. "You know, I can get back to that player.”