A frustrating start to Trevor Penning's NFL career was bookended by a frustrating finish.
The Saints rookie LT suffered a Lisfranc injury late in the Week 18 loss to the Carolina Panthers and will require surgery, head coach Dennis Allen confirmed on Monday.
It's an unfortunate way to close out a season for the first-round pick as he made his first career start at left tackle. He was starting in place of James Hurst, who had shifted inside to left guard with Andrus Peat inactive due to an ankle injury. The positive news: After getting a chance to review the tape, Allen said he was greatly encouraged by the young player's performance prior to the injury.
"I thought he played really well," Allen said. "I was highly encouraged by the way he played the left tackle position."
Penning must now hit the rehab trail again, just a few months removed from a turf toe injury to his other foot that forced him to spent the first half of the season on injured reserve. The former Northern Iowa standout had been serving in the jumbo TE role for the latter part of the season.
The recovery timeline for Penning will be the next question in terms of his availability for offseason workouts. His injury is similar to that of Cesar Ruiz, the head coach said, who suffered a Lisfranc injury of his own at the tail-end of a win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15.
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It's also a similar injury to what TE Taysom Hill suffered in Week 18 of the 2021 season. Hill was able to rehab and returned to the field in time for the start of training camp, lending some optimism for Penning's recovery. That said, the recovery process for a 300-pound lineman could be different than a skill position player. The Saints head coach also indicated Penning's surgery is the only non-minor procedure he's aware of for any of his players heading into the offseason.
Still, Allen has said he is happy with both first-round selections the Saints made in the 2022 draft (WR Chris Olave, No. 11 and Penning, No. 19), even as the No. 10 overall pick gets shipped to the Eagles as a result. When Penning does return he'll have his first extended bit of live regular season tape to work off as he heads into Year 2.
"I love the player’s mentality about the way he plays the game," Allen said. "He plays the game tough, physical. He plays it nasty with a lot of tenacity.”
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