The New Orleans Saints added another former Ohio State player to their roster when they signed Noah Spence in March, but now, the one-time Buckeye's 2020 season appears to be in serious jeopardy.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Saints placed Spence on the reserve/non-football injury list on Tuesday after he suffered a torn ACL while working out.
The #Saints signed LB Anthony Chickillo today and placed pass-rusher Noah Spence on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list because he tore his ACL preparing for training camp. This injury would have occurred at OTAs, but obviously no OTAs this year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 26, 2020
Because Spence's injury happened away from team activities – NFL players currently remain away from their team facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic – it is considered a non-football injury, allowing the Saints to place him on that reserve list. He would be eligible to return to the Saints' roster after the first six games of the 2020 season, but a torn ACL typically forces a player to miss a full season.
Spence, who also ended last season with the Saints but did not appear in any games with the team, was set to enter his fifth season in the NFL. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft after finishing his collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky, where he transferred after being ruled permanently ineligible by the Big Ten following two failed drug tests.
