Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee injures his knee during the opening training camp practice

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee left the opening practice of training camp with a noncontact knee injury that “doesn’t look good,” coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday night.

A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that initial tests indicated the possibility of a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced a diagnosis. When asked Thursday about a potential ACL tear for Bresee, Moore said, “it’s looking that way.” But he also noted that the club and Bresee were seeking a second opinion.

The severity of the injury to Bresee, a first-round draft choice out of Clemson in 2023, was not initially apparent on the field.

“No one kind of ran into each other, no one fell on anyone. It was just kind of a goofy deal where obviously something unfortunately happened,” Moore said during an interview on WWL radio in New Orleans. “It’s a tough one.

“It took a little bit I think for him to realize what it felt like,” Moore said. “It felt like a little bit of something and then once they checked it out — obviously, we’ll continue to finalize all that — but it doesn’t look great.”

Bresee has missed only two of the first 51 games of his career, during which he’s had 14 1/2 sacks. He also has blocked two field goal attempts.

His absence, if prolonged, could hasten the Saints’ reliance on rookie interior defensive linemen Christen Miller, a second-round draft choice out of Georgia, and Vernon Broughton, a 2025 third-round draft choice out of Texas who spent his rookie season on injured reserve.

“We obviously have to have other guys presented opportunities and certainly those guys will have to take advantage of that,” Moore said. “Bryan will do everything he can to recover and come back as strong as he possibly can.”