The New Orleans Saints' top defensive player in 2014 suffered a pectoral injury.
Linebacker Junior Galette injured his pectoral muscle recently and is evaluating his options whether to undergo surgery, according to NFL Media's Albert Breer, per a source informed of the situation.
Breer reported the Saints are still doing tests and fear the injury is significant. The 27-year-old pass rusher suffered the pec injury lifting weights, according to Breer. Galette was absent from the team's OTA session on Thursday.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday that an update on Galette's status will likely take a week or so, according to a source informed of the situation. Doctors are currently split on whether surgery is necessary and the team is awaiting one more opinion from a physician on vacation, per Rapoport.
Surgery for a pectoral muscle generally sidelines a player for an average of five to six months, which would put Galette on the shelf for the bulk of the season.
The pass rusher signed a four-year, $41.5 million contract extension with the Saints before last season and the team planned to keep him paired with Cameron Jordan, who was handed a five-year, $55 million deal earlier this week.
Any missed time on the field for Galette would be a huge blow to defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who has vowed his unit will bounce back from a dismal 2014 campaign.
Galette compiled 22 sacks and 85 tackles over the past two seasons, leading the team in quarterback takedowns in 2014 with 10.
The Saints, already in need of pass rushers, would be in a world of hurt sans Galette for a long stretch of the season.
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