Saints DE Payton Turner placed on IR, to undergo surgery for turf toe

Turner’s injury is similar to Trevor Penning’s injury last season.

New Orleans Saints DE Payton Turner will be sidelined for some time after playing a large role in the Saints’ defensive line rotation. In the second quarter of the Saints’ 16-15 win against the Tennessee Titans, coach Dennis Allen confirmed that Turner injured his toe and would likely require surgery. Allen compared Turner’s injury to that which sidelined Trevor Penning last year for nearly three months. Over the course of his career, Turner has been injured a few times. Sunday’s game against the Titans was just his 14th game played since the Saints selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

“It’s unfortunate for Payton, because I thought he was doing some good things early on in the game and he had a nice training camp,” Allen said Monday. “That’s an unfortunate loss.”

In the event Turner goes on injured reserve, Isaiah Foskey could fill in for Turner, who was inactive against Tennessee last week.

“I definitely think an opportunity has opened up for him [Foskey],” Coach Allen said. “Obviously we have a couple of options also on the practice squad. We’ll see what we feel like is the best move for the team.”

What are Coach Allen’s options? He was referencing Niko Lalos, Kyle Phillips and newly acquired Terrell Lewis from the Chicago Bears now that surgery is most likely for Turner. With him missing a few games out of the schedule, Coach Allen will have to make a decision to rotate the three edge rushers to see who could be the ultimate fit until Turner’s return.

Who do you think should take the place of Turner in his absence? Let us know in the comments below.

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