Every coach, and fans biggest fear during the preseason is losing a key player to injury. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of this game that we love. But an injury during the preseason seems to be exceptionally difficult to bear. For the New Orleans Saints the hits seem to keep comng during this preseason.
New Orleans Saints Left Tackle Terron Armstead Expected to Miss 4-6 Months With Torn Labrum
The Saints could potentially be without starting center Max Unger to start the season due to a foot injury that required surgery. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley is also a potential loss to the Saints due to a heart condition. Now, a third player has been added to the Saints injury report.
New Orleans’ starting left tackle Terron Armstead injured his shoulder during practice Wednesday and has since discovered he has suffered a torn labrum that requires surgery. This is an exceptionally tough blow for Armstead as he was looking for redemption in the 2017 season. Armstead missed nine games in 2015 and three games in 2016 due to knee and quad injuries.
Prior to the injuries, Terron Armstead was deemed one of the best young tackles in the League. The six-foot-five, 304 pound lineman from Arkansas-Pine Bluff impressed scouts and coaches at his combine. Armstead set the NFL scouting combine record for fastest 40 yard dash time with 4.71 seconds. The Saints would go on to draft him in the third round and Armstead earned a starting role in December. Armstead was recently rewarded for his tremendous play as well with a five year contract extension worth $13 million per year.
Interim Left Tackle
With Armstead’s injury keeping him sidelined for most of the season, there are a few options the Saints have to look at in his absence. More than likely, starting left guard Andrus Peat will slide over to the left tackle position. This is what the Saints did in 2016 during the games Armstead missed. Peat was originally a left tackle during his time at Stanford and excels at the position.
Another option, though not very likely, is for rookie Ryan Ramczyk to fill in at left tackle. The Saints originally planned for Ramczyk to be the team’s next right tackle, replacing Zach Strief. With Ramczyk playing left tackle at Wisconsin, however, this could be a great opportunity for the rookie lineman to shine.
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