Saints DE Okafor has bone bruise, sprained ankle

New Orleans Saints defensive end Alex Okafor suffered a bone bruise in his knee and a sprained ankle during Wednesday's practice, according to multiple reports Wednesday night.

How much time Okafor will miss is unclear, but the news is relatively positive after many feared a more serious injury. Players huddled around their teammate after he went down and was tended to by trainers. Okafor eventually walked off the field on his own with a limp.

The sixth-year veteran is recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in November, which ended a season in which he tallied 4.5 sacks and four passes defensed in 10 games (all starts). It was Okafor's first season in New Orleans after he arrived on a one-year deal in 2017. The Saints re-signed Okafor to a two-year deal worth up to $10 million in March.

The 27-year-old spent his first four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, who took him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. Okafor posted a career-high 8.0 sacks in 13 games (12 starts) in 2014 but had just 5.5 sacks combined in 2015 and 2016.

If healthy, he is expected to start opposite first-team All-Pro Cameron Jordan, with rookie first-round pick Marcus Davenport and 2017 third-round pick Trey Hendrickson rotating in.

Davenport, for whom the team traded its 2019 first-round pick to move up 13 spots in April's draft, attended Wednesday's practice for the first time in several sessions as he recovers from a groin injury that has kept him out of most of training camp. He did not participate in any drills, but head coach Sean Payton expressed optimism about getting Davenport back on the field soon.

"The news we're hearing is really good," Payton told reporters Wednesday, "so he's going to be kind of ramping up and accelerating with regards to getting back on the field. That's encouraging."

It's unclear when Davenport will make his preseason debut. The Saints host the Arizona Cardinals on Friday in their second preseason game.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)