Saints Rookie, Former Texas Star Out For 2025 NFL Season

The New Orleans Saints didn't just come away with a loss Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers.

New Orleans lost on Sunday against the 49ers to drop its record to 0-2 on the season. On top of this, New Orleans reportedly lost 2025 third-round rookie Vernon Broughton to a season-ending hip injury, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

"Saints rookie DT Vernon Broughton is expected to miss the rest of the season with a hip injury, sources tell The Insiders," Garafolo said. "The third-round pick is getting multiple opinions to see if surgery is required. Broughton flashed potential in 24 snaps yesterday in his season debut."

The Saints got some bad news on Monday

Jun 10, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Vernon Broughton (91) warms up during minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Saints selected Broughton with the No. 71 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 National Football League Draft. Broughton didn't play Week 1 and made his NFL debut on Sunday against the 49ers. He tallied three tackles in the loss across 24 defensive snaps played.

Before being drafted in the third round Broughton played five seasons at the University of Texas. His best season was the 2024 campaign. Last year, he played in 16 games and had 39 total tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, two passes defended, three fumbles recovered, and two forced fumbles.

Clearly, he did enough to impress the Saints' front office. He was the seventh selection in the third round of this year's draft. Saints defensive line coach Bo Davis coached Boughton back in college.

"Ties to the team to know The Texas ties are heavy this year with both new players and new coaches," ESPN's Katherine Terrell shared around the 2025 NFL Draft. "The Saints have now selected two players from Texas this year, with Broughton joining Banks. Saints defensive line coach Bo Davis is the main link here, having coached Broughton at Texas from 2021 to 2023. Defensive pass game coordinator Terry Joseph was also at Texas from 2021 to 2024."

There were some high hopes for the 24-year-old, but it sounds like Saints fans will have to wait until 2026 to see him back on the field.

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