MOST RELIABLE: Top 5 Saints That Fans Can Always Count On

Sep 20, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tackle Terron Armstead (72) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

TERRON ARMSTEAD

Armstead was one of four Saints earlier today that was placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list for Training Camp. Armstead, who signed a five-year extension this offseason, dealt with a knee injury last year, but practiced in both OTA’s and Mini-Camp, so it’s likely a precautionary move by the team. He’s expected to be activated within the next few weeks.

In what will be his 4th NFL season in 2016, the accolades for the Saints starting left tackle continue to pour in; including one recently from the analytics website Pro Football Focus — who ranked Armstead #26 in its list of the Top 100 Players for 2016, higher than any other Saints player that made the list.

"One of the true breakout seasons of 2015, Terron Armstead ended the year as our third-highest-graded tackle in the league, trailing only Joe Thomas (Cleveland) and Tyron Smith (Dallas). Armstead earned himself a big-money extension with that season, and also a spot high in the Top 101. He allowed just 20 total pressures over the year, and run-blocked extremely well, giving the Saints a major boost at the left tackle position. He has improved each season of his career, and did not have a single bad game in 2015. Best performance: Week 7 at Indianapolis: +5.1 Key stat: Armstead allowed 20 total pressures over 952 snaps of play, on his way to the third-highest grade among all tackle"

In fact, the folks at Pro Football Focus note that Armstead didn’t allow a pressure in 51 snaps in pass protection against the Colts. It was that performance that put the entire League on notice: that the New Orleans Saints had one of the best young offensive linemen in all of Pro Football.

Clearly it’s a testament to his hard work and dedication, and his rigorous and relentless training methods that have put him at the peak of his performance at age 25. The 6-foot-5, 304 pound Armstead possesses an athletic ability that has earned him a reputation as being a physical “freak of nature”.

After all, this is the same individual who ran the fastest 40-yard dash time by an offensive lineman in the entire history of the NFL scouting combine (4.71 seconds) ; and registered a vertical leap of 34.5 inches.

The Saints just recently locked up Armstead with a five-year contract extension through 2021, that will keep him on as one of the team’s most reliable players — as well as “the foundation” upon which the Saints offense is built.

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