Akiem Hicks spent most of training camp touted as a potential impact player for the Saints defense, a premier talent finally healthy again.
He spent most of the second half of the Saints’ 26-19 loss to Tampa Bay Sunday on the sideline.
The big defensive end played 28 snaps against the Buccaneers, 14 fewer than he’d played against Arizona, and his percentage of defensive snaps overall dropped from 68 percent in the season opener to 42 percent in the second week. Hicks had a simple explanation.
“I got benched in the third quarter,” Hicks said.