New Orleans Saints left tackle Terron Armstead exited last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals and is expected to miss most of November with a pectoral muscle injury. That’s not the worst diagnosis, and certainly not as bad as may have been feared, but it’s still not good for a player writing quite the injury history. Here’s his background, per Rotoworld:
- Nov. 11, 2018: pectoral injury (to miss 3-4 games)
- Dec. 24, 2017: thigh injury (missed 1 game)
- June 16, 2017: shoulder injury (missed 5 games)
- Dec. 14, 2016: quadriceps injury (missed 9 games)
- Oct. 4 2015: knee injury (missed 3 games)
- Dec. 15 2014: neck injury (missed 2 games)
That’s a ton of time spent on the shelf, much of it due to soft tissue injuries. Armstead came into the season believing his troubles were behind him and there’s reason to think this isn’t the chronic condition he’s battled before. His lower body – knees, hips, and all the connective muscles and tissue – is fine, he just damaged a chest muscle when finishing a block. It happens to guys on their gym’s bench press every week.
But what if this is the beginning of a new trend? NFL athletes are on the bleeding edge of what the human body can do – it’s why serious injuries like a torn ACL are so commonplace. Asking someone to tip the scales at 300-plus pounds, and then move that weight in excess of 17-miles per hour (the equivalent of his 4.65-second 40-yard dash at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine) puts incredible stress on the soft tissues holding the body together. It’s just not sustainable. It’s why so many offensive linemen experience significant weight loss when they retire.
Armstead, 27-years old, has prodigious abilities to go with his athleticism. But he’s missed quite a lot of games in his Saints career, and accounts for some serious salary cap hits: he’s got the team’s highest non-Drew Brees cap allocations over the next three years. Finding a way out of his contract and looking for another players to replace him kind of makes sense. It’s possible the Saints have that guy on the roster in Ryan Ramczyk, who played left tackle in college before learning to play the right side as a pro. But then they’d need a new right tackle.
Pickings are slim in free agency. The Saints brought back a former starter in Jermon Bushrod, but he’s closer to retirement than signing a multi-year extension. Even middling linemen like Nate Solder (four years, $62-million) and Chris Hubbard (five years, $36.5-million) have earned top dollar on the open market. New Orleans would probably need to draft Armstead’s replacement, and it’s far too soon to even guess at who could be available at their only significant draft choice in the second round.
For now, the Saints should hang tight. Ride out this latest injury for Armstead, hope it’s nothing to worry about long-term, and stay focused on the upcoming playoffs push. There will be time to consider draft prospects and free agents later. But, certainly, the team’s scouting department should eye offensive linemen just as heavily as they have in the past. New Orleans hasn’t been afraid to draft them highly before, and could need to do it again.