METAIRIE, La. (AP) — New Orleans Saints defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon tore his Achilles tendon and is expected to miss at least the early part of the upcoming season, coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday.

Allen was explaining why Kpassagnon had been absent for voluntary offseason practices when he mentioned the injury, which he said occurred while the seven-year NFL veteran was sprinting during a drill in the indoor facility earlier in the offseason.

“He won’t be ready for training camp and then we’ll see how long it takes him to recover,” Allen said. “There’s a chance he could be back at some point.”

The 6 foot-7, 289-pound Kpassagnon, who spent his first four NFL seasons with Kansas City, has been with New Orleans for three seasons. He played in all 17 regular-season games in 2023, when he had 3 1/2 sacks. He had 10 spot starts in his first two seasons with the Saints before rotating in regularly as a reserve throughout last season.