Former Texas Longhorns LB Carted Off in NFL Week 17

A former Texas Longhorns star suffered a fibula injury in Week 17 with the New Orleans Saints.

Texas Longhorns linebacker Jaylan Ford (41) takes the feild ahead of the Big 12 Championship game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T stadium on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 in Arlington. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Texas Longhorns star Jaylan Ford's rookie season has come to an unfortunate end due to injury.

The New Orleans Saints linebacker was carted off the field at Caesars Superdome during Sunday's Week 17 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders due to what the team officially called a fibula injury. The Saints lost the game 25-10, dropping their record to 5-11 with one game left in the regular season.

Ford appeared in eight games this seaso and posted four total tackles.

The Saints selected Ford, 23, in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft after he spent four seasons with the Longhorns. During his time at Texas, the Frisco, TX native tallied 287 total tackles (143 solo), three sacks, three forced fumbles, four pass breakups and six interceptions.

After being drafted, Ford called it a "surreal moment."

"It’s definitely a surreal moment, let along it being the Saints from right down the road," Ford said. "Just being able to be picked up, like when I got the call, it was crazy just listening to them. They call you and they’re telling you they’re going to pick you, and chills just ran through my body, and I started getting teary eyed. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of feeling, so that was pretty cool. Then the fact that they wanted to take a chance on me, it says a lot about them and how they feel about me, and at the end of the day, I was meant to go to the Saints because they felt like I was the right fit for them. I’m just excited to get down there and earn my keep."

The Saints will close out their 2024 season on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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