Texas defensive tackle whose Saints rookie year was cut short by a hip injury, with a 2026 return expected.
Vernon Broughton is a New Orleans defensive tackle the Saints drafted in the third round in 2025 out of Texas. A season-ending hip injury limited him to one game as a rookie. The team views him as a 2026 contributor in Brandon Staley's defense.
Path to the league
Broughton played five seasons at Texas, with his best year coming in 2024: 39 total tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, two passes defended, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles across 16 games. The Saints took him 71st overall in the third round of the 2025 draft and signed him to a four-year rookie deal worth about $6.64 million.
2025 season
Broughton made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the 49ers and recorded three tackles, but suffered a season-ending hip injury in that same game and was placed on injured reserve on September 17. Saints GM Mickey Loomis expressed optimism that he would return as a rotational contributor in 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Vernon Broughton
- ESPN: Vernon Broughton player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
1 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | saints | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Texas
- Hometown
- Houston, TX, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
