The New Orleans Saints are currently riding high atop the NFC with an 8-1 record. But they're about to hit some adversity. Left tackle Terron Armstead, in the midst of another fantastic season, is reportedly set to sit out the next three to four weeks due to a pectoral injury suffered during last week's blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The #Saints are expected to be without LT Terron Armstead for a period of roughly 3-4 weeks, source said. Armstead injured his pec during last week’s game and was replaced by Jermon Bushrod. They face the #Eagles this week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 14, 2018
Armstead has been one of the NFL's best tackles for a while now, but he has had continual trouble staying healthy. He's never played a full 16-game season in his career, and since he became a full-time starter in 2014, he's missed 20 of the Saints' 73 games. (That's 27.4 percent of all possible games.)
Bushrod is a 12-year veteran who is back in New Orleans this season after spending the past few years in Chicago and Miami. He originally began his career with the Saints, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft. He spent the first two years of his career as a backup, then moved into the starting lineup and started 63 of 64 games from 2009 through 2012, making the Pro Bowl in each of his final two seasons as a Saint.
The Bears then signed him to a five-year, $35.965 million contract, only to see him struggle as a starter for a couple years before they cut him loose after his third season. His two years in Miami were a bit better, but he still ended up landing with the Saints as a backup and swing tackle this offseason. Now, the Saints will need him to step up and be a serviceable fill-in for one of the premier tackles in the game.
