By now we’ve all been clued in to the fact that Saints star left tackle Terron Armstead will be spending the beginning of training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP). On the surface that feels quite alarming because of how valuable Armstead is to the team. I’d rate him right up there with Cam Jordan as the player that’s most indispensable to the team not named Drew Brees. Armstead has had his share of injuries since joining the Saints and durability is starting to become a concern. Before you panic too much, though, Mike Triplett got us vague info that’s at least moderately reassuring:
#Saints‘ Terron Armstead on PUP list, but source says injury is not significant https://t.co/EJkAmOqtjf
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) July 25, 2016
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Source says #Saints LT Terron Armstead’s injury is soft tissue, should return within a couple weeks.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) July 26, 2016
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So hopefully Armstead misses a week or two of camp before coming back to practice at full strength and that’s over with. In the meantime, though, the biggest concern for me is not about Armstead but about how this affects the development of Andrus Peat. Peat was drafted as a tackle and if Armstead was going to miss any time, Peat is clearly the most viable candidate to step in at left tackle. Since the injury is short term, though, it’s less obvious. Peat struggled attempting to play guard last season and by all accounts he would benefit hugely from getting reps at that position all of training camp. It’s a tough thing to navigate because if Armstead were ever to miss a game, it seems clear the starting offensive line should be: Peat-Lelito-Unger-Kelemete-Strief. If the working assumption is that Armstead is due for a quick return, though, I’d rather Peat get reps at the position he’s most likely to play during the season… particularly when it hasn’t been concluded be can play well there, it’s not a natural fit, and he needs work. Learning the nuances of footwork, technique and assignment differences for all of training camp will give Peat the best chance of success during the season at that position. Conversely, spending time away from tackle to hurt his development if that’s where he ends up playing the season (should Armstead be out longer than expected). It’s a pretty significant lineup shuffle dilemma, especially when you want to be very careful about the development of your 2015 1st round pick.
An added layer here is the Saints can roll with Kelemete at left tackle in practice reps while Armstead is out. Kelemete played well at left tackle against the Falcons last season in a pinch, and that was his position in college. Still, if you asked him, I’m sure he’d rather be getting reps at guard so he can compete for a starting position. If he’s taking reps at left tackle, he’s clearly just filling space until the undisputed starter returns. The other option would be to shuffle first team reps between inexperienced guys like Tyrus Thompson and Avery Young, but that seems less ideal. You want your best players, guys that actually stand a chance of playing week 1, to be getting the first team reps.
One thing to watch at the very start of camp is what the Saints do with those 1st team left tackle reps while Armstead is sidelined. Do they shift Peat over, clearly the best replacement on the roster for Armstead, but sacrifice valuable time he could be spending learning the guard position? Do they shift Kelemete over there, costing him valuable snaps at guard? Or do they keep both at guard and just put a body at left tackle until Armstead can return to make sure the guard battle stays on task? Tough decision for sure.
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