METAIRIE, La. -- Losing Alex Okafor to a season-ending injury won’t be a knockout blow for the New Orleans Saints’ defense.

But make no mistake about it: They’ll feel the sting.

The veteran defensive end was quietly one of the biggest reasons for New Orleans’ remarkable defensive turnaround this year.

The Saints had finally found a reliable bookend to line up across from stellar DE Cameron Jordan. Okafor, 26, ranks second on the team with 4.5 sacks, 43 tackles, nine quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss. And he is tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles.

More importantly, he was versatile enough to be a big asset as both a pass rusher and run defender while moving inside in certain alignments. He played nearly 80 percent of New Orleans’ snaps this year.

For that reason, it will likely take more than one person to fill Okafor’s shoes. Here’s a look at the top candidates to do so:

DE Trey Hendrickson: Yet another rookie from this year’s remarkable draft class who is about to play a key role for the Saints, Hendrickson will likely be the new starter. Hendrickson played 10 of the 11 snaps after Okafor left Sunday’s 34-31 overtime win over the Washington Redskins.

Hendrickson, a third-round draft pick from Florida Atlantic, has played 177 snaps this season. He has two sacks, five quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, two pass defenses, a forced fumble and 11 tackles. At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, he is stout enough to play on run downs -- which was the case against Washington. He only left the field on a third-and-20 play, when he was replaced by Hau’oli Kikaha.

"He gives you flexibility outside and inside. He’s a good rusher inside," Saints coach Sean Payton said of Hendrickson. "Very quickly in training camp you saw a sense of urgency and someone who had some natural strength to his play."

DE Hau’oli Kikaha: The third-year pro has fallen behind on the depth chart this year, including three games in which he was a healthy inactive. But the 6-3, 246-pounder has still flashed pass-rush ability, which has led to three sacks in just 88 snaps played.

Kikaha, a second-round draft pick in 2015, had 32 sacks over his final two years at Washington, then four sacks as a rookie with the Saints before his entire 2016 season was wiped out by a torn ACL.

DE Al-Quadin Muhammad: Another rookie who has flashed potential, Muhammad had four sacks in the preseason. But the 6-3, 250-pounder from Miami (Florida) has only appeared in two games this year and has only played two defensive snaps.

DT David Onyemata: The second-year pro has developed into a solid rotational backup this year -- and it’s possible that the Saints could decide to use him as a 4-3 end in some formations. That was their original vision when they drafted the 6-4, 300-pounder in the fourth round out of the University of Manitoba in Canada.

Onyemata, who grew up in Nigeria and just learned the sport of North American football when he got to college, has played in exactly 50 percent of the Saints’ defensive snaps this year with 1.5 sacks, 22 tackles, three quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and one pass defense.