The Saints are still battling serious injury issues, but some big reinforcements are on the way. Well, at least one.
Saints rookie LT Trevor Penning, the No. 19 selection in the 2022 NFL draft, has been designated to return from injured reserve, the team announced Thursday afternoon. He'd be eligible to be on the active roster as early as Week 10 if healthy enough to do so.
"I've come a long ways. ... It's been it's been a while since I've been out playing football," Penning said this week, "but it's really good to be kind of getting back into the swing of things."
The news comes almost exactly 10 weeks removed from the turf toe injury suffered in the preseason finale that sent his promising debut season off the tracks. Veteran James Hurst was expected to be the starter and has held down that spot throughout the season.
The injury came on the opening drive, which ended in a touchdown, against the L.A. Chargers in the preseason. Penning blocked on a Mark Ingram touchdown run, which is when he suffered the injury. He stayed in to block on the extra point, largely because he didn't realize the severity of his injury at that moment. It wasn't until he got back to the trainers and his shoe came off that he saw the extent of the injury to his big toe.
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SAINTS ROSTER MOVES (announced Thursday)
- LT Trevor Penning, designated to return from IR
- FB Adam Prentice signed to active roster from practice squad
- LB Nephi Sewell signed to active roster from practice squad
- OT Derrick Kelly II signed to practice squad
- LB Kenny Young signed to practice squad
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Even then he expected it to be a week or two, but an MRI showed ligament damage that would require surgery.
"That was a bummer for sure," he said. "But, you know, I'll come back stronger."
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Penning has been a regular presence around the facility, beginning on a knee scooter before advancing to walking around in a walking boot. He got out of the boot recently and has been working off to the side with trainers for about a week prior to Thursday, he said, the first day he was spotted on the field during the media portion of practice.
It's the first major injury for the former Northern Iowa star, but he's taking it in stride. He's also leaned a bit on teammate Landon Young, who had the same injury and also underwent surgery to repair the ligament damage during his rookie season.
Young's advice: "Take it day-by-day," Penning said. "Take your time with it. Make sure it's feeling good and ready to go. Don't push it too heavy. If it's feeling rough one day, ease off a little, don't re-hurt it or anything like that."
Penning's now got a metal plate in his shoe to protect the repaired toe, and he'll continue to work his way back, but at a safe pace. The rookie admitted himself he began the offseason behind the curve on the technique side of the equation coming out of the FCS level and was unlikely to be the Week 1 starter. He was advancing quickly, however, improving by leaps and bounds in pass protection and showcasing the expected road-grating nature as a run-blocker.
Penning says he's been able to do upper-body work throughout and he's kept his head in the book and focused on technique, so he doesn't expect to take a step back before he can make an impact.
"I could see improvements every day and then the injury kind of slowed me down a little bit," he said. "I was upset with it, obviously. But I'm hoping I can get back in, get back into the swing of things and continue to progress."
The Saints face off with the Steelers in Week 10.
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