Saints rookie Trevor Penning's feet continue to be a cause for concern, and it has nothing to do with his footwork on the field, rather the foot injuries that have kept him off of it.
The good news: The injury is considered minor and is unrelated to the offseason surgery Penning underwent to repair a Lisfrac injury. He's considered day-to-day and could be back on the field as early as Friday for the team's first open practice.
"Really minor," head coach Dennis Allen said. "Probably more of a precaution to keep him out today."
Penning was one of two absences, along with guard Lewis Kidd, after 100% participation on the first day of practice. DT Khalen Saunders left practice early with what was described as an illness, while WRs Keith Kirkwood and Shaq Davis had their days end early due to heat-related issues.
But for the former first-round pick, every absence feels like a missed opportunity for development after an injury-shortened season that kept him out of action for the entirety of OTAs and minicamp, though he was on-hand with the team for the majority of it. Penning did get into limited action in team drills on Wednesday, and he'll have a long training camp schedule to work through.
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After being selected No. 19 overall by the Saints in 2022, Penning appeared to be behind veteran James Hurst for the starting job, but was improving quickly. That ended in the final preseason game when he suffered a significant turf toe injury that required surgery to repair. That injury kept him out until Week 12, and he returned with work in a jumbo tight end role. His first start came in Week 18 against the Panthers, a performance that drew high marks but unfortunately ended with a Lisfranc injury that also required surgery and a long offseason of rehab.
Hurst has drawn LT tackle duty early in camp, and could be the option again, though the Saints will certainly be hopeful last year's first-round selection can work his way into a starting role.
“Obviously he’s worked his tail off this offseason to get himself healthy, and that’s where he’s at right now," Allen said prior to the start of camp. "So there’s certainly a significant portion of time lost and we don’t get a chance to get those reps back. ... You certainly wish he hadn’t have missed that time, but that is what it is. And now it’s his time to get out there and get some reps and get better.”
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In positive injury news, guard Cesar Ruiz has been present and working for both days of practice as he works back from a similar injury. The Saints have also bolstered their interior line depth with the signings of Trai Turner and Max Garcia, should Hurst have to kick outside again this season.
The Saints are back in action on Friday and Saturday with the first two open practices, followed by a day off on Sunday, then the first padded practice on Monday.