That sack number figured to improve in Kikaha’s second season.
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The rookie was selected in the second round of the 2015 National Football League draft by the Saints.
Kikaha suffered a torn ACL, according to the report. The knee injury and subsequent surgery typically sidelines players upwards of nine months and beyond. He ultimately played in 58 percent of the Saints’ defensive snaps.
With the Saints transitioning to a 4-3 defense this season, Kikaha was expected to figure heavily into the rotation at defensive end. Only five teams recorded fewer sacks in 2015 than the Saints (31), who fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan during the season. He tore his left ACL twice in college. There was much work still to be done before the start of the regular season, continuing next week at a mandatory three-day minicamp and training camp at The Greenbrier later this summer.
For Kikaha, it’s months of tedious and painful rehab.
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The New Orleans Saints’ already thin defense might be stretched even further with an offseason injury. He bounced back strong both times.
