Rookie Saints safety Vinnie Sunseri went on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday with a fractured arm, coach Sean Payton announced.
A mainstay on the special-teams coverage units as well as a rookie fifth-round draft choice out of Alabama, Sunseri hurt himself defending the kickoff the Saints booted to start the third quarter of their 27-24 overtime defeat at home against the 49ers. San Francisco’s Carlos Hyde had run out a Thomas Morstead kickoff eight yards deep in the end zone; Sunseri evaded the 49ers’ protection and zeroed in on the returner at the 10.
Sunseri didn’t have the best of angles, however; and, sensing that, Hyde cut to his right. Sunseri flailed his left arm at Hyde in an effort to trip up the returner as he went by, but Hyde barged through the arm tackle before being brought down at New Orleans’ 22. Meanwhile, Sunseri lay face down on the turf of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and clutched at his left arm.
When the Saints punted for the first time following halftime, Sunseri wasn’t out on the field, and he was officially ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Sunseri had three solo tackles on special teams, which tied him for second on the Saints (4-5) with four other players before he was hurt. He had also logged 11 snaps of defense as an extra safety, registering half a tackle.
Ahead of shutting Sunseri down for the rest of the season, the Saints signed free-agent veteran safety Jamarca Sanford.
Sanford served on Washington’s special teams for three games this season and recorded 1.5 tackles before being released in mid-October. He was with the Minnesota Vikings for the first five seasons of his NFL career, which began in 2009.
Sanford started 44 regular-season games for the Vikings and had two interceptions, 11 passes defensed and 169 solo tackles. His time in Minnesota came to an end when the Vikings let him go with an injury settlement after he hurt a quad in August.
Payton said Sanford was “an easy switch” with Sunseri, for both the players are similar.
The Saints are 4-5 this year and host Cincinnati (5-3-1) at noon this upcoming Sunday.