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The New Orleans Saints will be without left guard Andrus Peat while he manages a hand injury during training camp, per multiple reports. News of Peat’s injury was first reported by Brett Martel for the Associated Press, and confirmed by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
Peat was guaranteed $33 million in a five-year contract extension with the Saints earlier this summer, and showed up to training camp in great shape, but this is still a big setback for the two-time Pro Bowler. He’s started predominately at left guard since being drafted by the Saints back in 2015, while also being the go-to option to fill in for left tackle Terron Armstead.
But it’s just the latest entry in Peat’s lengthy injury history. He’s just 26, but has never suited up for a full 16-game regular season. Peat missed six weeks last season with a broken arm after dealing with a previously broken hand, high-ankle sprain, and concussion in 2018, and ended his season with a broken leg the year before that.
While those aren’t the sort of soft-tissue injuries that tend to recur, it’s still notable that Peat’s body hasn’t held up to the punishment the NFL deals out. It might be fair to question New Orleans’ decision to extend Peat while releasing his healthier teammate Larry Warford, who has informally opted out of playing in the 2020 season despite receiving a lot of interest in free agency.
And there’s no clear timetable yet on his return. Saints coach Sean Payton was mum on an explanation for Peat’s absence in Monday’s training camp practice, so we’ll have to stay tuned for updated reports or an announcement from the team. In the meantime, veteran backup Nick Easton is filling in for Peat at left guard, but don’t be shocked if top rookie draft pick Cesar Ruiz gets a look as well.
For now, one encouraging sign might be that the Saints didn’t bring any offensive linemen into their recent free agent tryouts. That could suggest they don’t expect Peat to miss much time before their Sept. 13 season opener with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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