New Orleans defensive tackle Bryan Bresee of Damascus, Maryland is out for the 2026 National Football League regular season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament according to Eric Himmelheber of flashscore.com on Sunday. Breese injured his ACL during practice on Wednesday and it was determined by the Saints over the weekend that Bresee tore the ligament.
This is the second time in Bresee’s career he tore his ACL. The first time came while playing college at Clemson as a sophomore, which forced him to miss the majority of his 2021 college season. The torn ACL came after an outstanding 2020 college season with the Tigers as he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year. In only 12 games as a freshman, Bresee had 23 combined tackles (13 solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles), 6.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two pass deflections and one forced fumble.
Despite the injury concerns, Bresee was still taken in the first round, 29th overall, in the 2023 National Football League Draft. In 15 games in 2025, Bresee had 37 combined tackles (22 assisted tackles and 15 solo tackles), five tackles for a loss, eight quarterback hits, three pass deflections, one forced fumble and 2.5 sacks. The forced fumble came in a 26-14 Saints win over the New York Giants on October 5. That was the Saints first win of the 2025 NFL season after they lost their first four games.
Bresee is the second NFL player to be out for the year with a significant injury over the last few days. He follows San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who needs posterior cruciate ligament surgery.
