Baltimore Ravens linebacker and the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs has suffered a torn Achilles' tendon and is expected to miss the 2012 season, Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network reports.
The injury occurred while Suggs was working out in his native Arizona. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Suggs was playing basketball at the time of the injury.
Suggs had 70 tackles, a career-high 14 sacks, two interceptions and seven forced fumbles for the Ravens last season. Even though the Ravens used a second round pick on Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw in 2012, losing Suggs, who played in 95 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season, is a devastating blow to a Ravens defense that posted 48 sacks and ranked in the Top 5 against the run and pass last season.
The Ravens will be looking for more out of 2011 fifth round pick Pernell McPhee, who played in 34 percent of the snaps and posted six sacks as a rookie. Recent second round picks Paul Kruger (2009) and Sergio Kindle (2010) will also be expected to pick up the pass-rushing slack with Suggs on the sidelines.
While Suggs will likely miss the season, the Ravens are likely to place him on the "Reserve/Non-Football Injury" list at the start of training camp. Suggs is due $4.9 million in base salary this season, but players on that list are not entitled to any compensation, though teams occasionally negotiate lower salary rates while a player is on the NFI list.
No comments:
Post a Comment