In a team vote, the New Orleans Saints chose defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins as the recipient of the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award, the team announced Saturday. Rankins returned ahead of schedule from an Achilles injury he suffered back in January during a divisional round playoff game with the Philadelphia Eagles, which ultimately caused him to miss just three games. This vote from his teammates recognizes the tedious, painful work Rankins put in during the offseason to recover from an injury that could have ended his season before it started.
“This season hasn’t, statistically, personally, gone exactly as I wanted it to,” Rankins told the Saints website.