Saints Starting DT Bryan Bresee to Have Season-Ending ACL Surgery

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered during the team's first practice of training camp, according to ESPN's reporting. Coach Kellen Moore announced the surgery decision to reporters on Sunday, ending the possibility of Bresee's participation in the 2026 season.

The noncontact injury occurred during the Saints' first practice of camp last week, when Bresee was working with the first unit in 11-on-11 drills. Saints nose tackle Davon Godchaux described the incident as a "freak accident" with "hardly wasn't even any contact," occurring during "a pass rush move" when Bresee "felt his knee buckle." Sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo that a torn ACL was feared, a diagnosis later confirmed with further testing.

Bresee, 24, was a 2023 first-round pick who has started 26 games, including 15 last season, and has 14.5 career sacks. The Saints recently picked up the 2027 fifth-year option on his rookie contract worth $13.9 million, according to ESPN. The loss removes a cornerstone of the defensive line during a critical season.

With Bresee out, the Saints have begun deploying veteran Nathan Shepherd and second-year tackle Vernon Broughton on the interior of the first-team defensive line. Broughton, a 2025 third-round pick, played only one game last year before missing the rest of the season with a hip injury. Defensive end Chase Young said "Bresee just went down. We're going to need Vernon to step up. We need [John Ridgeway III] to step up. We need the whole interior to step up. And I have faith that they will." Godchaux added, "Everybody's the guy because D-line is a position where you do have starters, but everybody's going to play every game... When your number is called, you have to step up."

Bresee previously tore his left ACL at the beginning of his 2021 season at Clemson, per ESPN's reporting. The injury history raises structural durability concerns as the Saints reconfigure their defensive line before the regular season.