It'll be some time before Saints rookie Trevor Penning gets back on the field, but the 2022 season isn't lost for the first-round pick.
Penning suffered a bad turf toe injury that included a ligament tear and required surgery, but the team expects him back at some point this year, Dennis Allen confirmed Monday. A report from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network indicated some time in November is a possible target for a return to practice.
"I think there's some some some hope that he'll, he'll be back at some point," Allen said. "And, you know, certainly he's gonna work extremely hard to try to get back out here. So hopefully, it's sooner rather than later, but we'll just have to see."
Penning suffered the injury on the opening drive of the preseason finale against the L.A. Chargers, striking a sour note at the end of an offseason that had seen the former Northern Iowa standout progressing rapidly as he picked up the left tackle position at the NFL level.
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Penning was kept on the initial 53-man roster before being reverted to injured reserve, meaning he is eligible to be brought back as early as Week 5. As many as eight players can be brought back from IR after four weeks, per the updated rules for the 2022 season.
The timeline put forth by Rapoport would mean the target could be sometime between Weeks 9 (Ravens) and Week 13 (49ers). It's still unclear how the Saints will handle the backup LT position. Lewis Kidd has played it throughout the preseason and would seem to be the most likely candidate.
Second-year Saints lineman Landon Young dealt with a similar injury during his rookie season, suffered during the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the game on the injured foot and then required surgery.
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His advice for his teammate would be to "keep his head in the book" and make sure when he does get back, it's not as if he took a step back with the missed time.
"I've been in that headspace. I've been there," Young said during an interview on the Inside Black & Gold podcast. "I understand it and I'm just, I know he's had surgery and hopefully doing good, and we're excited to have him back and get him back and see how he's feeling."
The Saints open up their regular season on Sept. 11 in Atlanta against the Falcons.
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