New Orleans Saints

Saints DE Hau'oli Kikaha suffers torn ACL, likely out for the season

Published Jun. 9, 2016 2:27 p.m. ET

foxsports

New Orleans Saints defensive end Hau'oli Kikaha has suffered a torn ACL and is likely to miss the 2016 season. Kikaha was a second-round pick out of the University of Washington in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Kikaha, 23, had a strong start to his rookie season with four sacks and three forced fumbles in his first six games before an ankle injury slowed him the rest of the year. The team was planning to move him from outside linebacker to defensive end full-time this season, but he reportedly tore the ACL in practice this week.

Kikaha had torn his ACL twice at the college level, though it's unclear which knee sustained this most recent injury. His absence will be a substantial loss for a New Orleans defense that ranked 31st in the league last season.