Texans' Sheldon Rankins: Lands in Houston on one-year deal
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The Texans agreed to terms with Rankins on a one-year, $10.5 million contract Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Rankins spent the last two seasons with the Jets after beginning his career in New Orleans. He's coming off a 2022 campaign in which he tallied three sacks and 43 tackles over 15 appearances. Rankins is a lane plugger up front and should be among the Texans' leaders in snaps played at defensive tackle during the upcoming season.
Head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday that Rankins (elbow) is in line to return to practice in limited fashion, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.
Rankins dislocated his elbow back in Week 9 versus the Bills, and he ultimately hasn't been able to return to the practice field since. However, if the 305-pounder indeed participates in Wednesday's session, that would give him a decent shot to suit up this weekend in Minnesota. However, if Rankins doesn't gain medical clearance for a third consecutive contest, then Solomon Thomas and Quinnen Williams should continue handling most of New York's defensive tackle reps.
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Jets' Sheldon Rankins: Dislocates elbow Sunday
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Rankins sustained a dislocated elbow during Sunday's win over the Bills, and he could now miss 4-6 weeks depending on the healing process, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Rankins departed during the first half of Sunday's matchup versus Buffalo with what has since been revealed as a dislocated elbow. While there's currently no specific date set for his return, an injury like this usually takes players up to six weeks to fully recover from. While the 305-pounder remains sidelined, expect Solomon Thomas, Quinnen Williams and Nathan Shepherd to see a spike in usage on the Jets' defensive front.
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Jets' Sheldon Rankins: Good to go Sunday
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Rankins (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
Rankins was considered questionable and is ready to play Week 16. He picked up his first sack since Week 8 last week against the Dolphins, bringing his season total to three.
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Jets' Sheldon Rankins: Will play Sunday
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Rankins (knee) is active for Sunday against the Dolphins, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.
Rankins was able to log a full practice Friday, setting the stage for his ability to suit up Sunday. The six-year veteran has 25 tackles (11 solo), two sacks, a pass defensed and fumble recovery on the season. He and the Jets will look to stifle the Dolphins' playoff chances Sunday.
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Jets' Sheldon Rankins: Ready to face former team
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Rankins (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Saints, Randy Lange of the Jets' official site reports.
Rankins concluded the week as a full participant in practice, so he never appeared in major jeopardy of sitting out a matchup against the team that drafted him, despite being listed as questionable for the contest. The sixth-year defensive tackle logged 21 tackles and two sacks through his 11 appearances before sitting out the Jets' Week 13 loss to the Eagles.
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Jets' Sheldon Rankins: Unlikely to play Week 13
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Rankins (knee) is doubtful to play in Week 13 against the Eagles, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.
Rankins left last week's game against the Texans early with the knee issue and will miss his first game of the season Sunday. In his absence, Folorunso Fatukasi will likely step into a starting role at defensive tackle.
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Jets' Sheldon Rankins: Leaves with knee issue
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Rankins is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Texans with a knee injury, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.
Rankins' loss leaves the Jets without their starting left tackle. Folorunso Fatukasi should step in to replace him.
Rankins racked up 20 tackles (13 solo), 1.5 sacks and a pass defended across 12 regular-season games in 2020.
Rankins missed at least four games for the second straight season, and though he saw his defensive snaps climb in 2020, he recorded a career-low 1.5 sacks. He's played all five seasons of his career with New Orleans, but it's unclear where he'll play in 2021, as Rankins is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Moves off IR
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Rankins (knee-MCL) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Rankins missed the past four weeks dealing with an MCL sprain, but the defensive tackle should be full throttle Sunday against the Falcons. The 2016 first-round pick has played over 60 percent of the defensive snaps just once this season.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: First sack of 2020
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Rankins finished with five tackles (three solo), 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack in Monday night's 30-27 overtime win against the Chargers.
In just one game of play, Rankins eclipsed his season tackle total and recorded his first sack of 2020. He's had a slow start to the season but will look to stay on track in Week 7 against Carolina.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: On track for MNF
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Rankins (thumb) is expected to play in Monday's game versus the Chargers, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Rankins popped up on the injury report Saturday when he was unable to practice, but it appears the 2016 first-round pick will play through the issue. He'll likely wear some sort of protection on the thumb, whether it's a cast or a club.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Could be out for the season
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Rankins (ankle) is in danger of missing the rest of the season, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Rankins was forced out of Sunday's 48-46 loss to the 49ers with a right ankle injury, and he's now weighing his options to figure out if he'll be able to play again in 2019. With defensive end Marcus Davenport expected to require season-ending foot surgery, the Saints suddenly appear thin along the defensive line, an area that's been a strength for them for most of the season. The only good news is that Rankins' injury isn't to the same leg in which he suffered a torn Achilles in January. The 2016 first-round pick has 16 sacks in 51 regular-season games, including two in 10 appearances during the current campaign.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Leaves game Sunday
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Rankins (ankle) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the 49ers.
It's unclear how Rankins picked up the injury, but he was forced to exit the game late in the third quarter. As long as the 2016 first-round pick is sidelined, look for David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle to be in line to receive an uptick in snaps.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Records sack in win
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Rankins recorded three tackles (all solo), including a sack and a tackle for a loss, in the Saints' 26-18 win over the Falcons on Thursday.
Rankins recorded his first sack since Week 5, as he took Matt Ryan down in the division-clinching victory. The lack of sacks is concerning, but so is the fact that he hasn't recorded a tackle since Week 8. Rankins' performance this season is a far cry from his 40-tackle, eight-sack campaign from just a year ago.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Expected to make 2019 debut
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Barring a setback in warmups, Rankins (Achilles) is expected to play in Sunday night's game against Dallas, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
A return in Week 5 of 6 seemed to be more likely heading into this game, but, as evidenced by this news, Rankins has made significant strides to make a return to the field earlier. As always, check the game inactives before kickoff to officially confirm the 2016 first-round pick's status, but his return would be a real boost to the Saints defensive front.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Out versus Seahawks
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Rankins (Achilles) is ruled out for Sunday's game versus the Seahawks, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Rankins will put his season debut on hold for a third straight week despite being able to practice in a limited fashion this week. The Saints are likely itching to have Rankins back after he posted 40 tackles and eight sacks last year. David Onyemata will start at defensive tackle in his place.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Logs limited practice
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Rankins (Achilles) was officially listed as a limited participant for Wednesday's practice, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Rankins was forced to miss the first two games of the season while dealing with the injury, so it's good news that he's logging some practice time. He'll likely have to log a full practice session in order to suit up for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, and if he sits again, it will likely be Mario Edwards and David Onyemate rotating at defensive tackle again.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Won't play Sunday
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Rankins (Achilles) will sit out Sunday's game versus the Rams, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
The Saints allowed Houston's backfield to average 7.4 YPC in Week 1 without Rankins, Mario Edwards (hamstring) and David Onyemate (suspension) in the lineup Week 1. Rankins is the projected starter so it will still hurt having him out, but Edwards and Onyemata will return to rotate in at defensive tackle for the grudge match.
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Saints' Sheldon Rankins: Won't play in season opener
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Rankins (Achilles) will sit out Monday's game versus the Raiders, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Rankins will miss the first game since his rookie campaign in 2016. The 25-year-old had an excellent season last year, posting 40 tackles and eight sacks. The Saints defensive line will be limited on depth since Mario Edwards (hamstring) is also sitting out, so expect Taylor Stallworth to start at defensive tackle Monday.
