Saints Player Rankings: All-Pro tackle Terron Armstead lands at No. 8

After another dominant season at left tackle, Terron Armstead has proven just how valuable he is to the Saints offense, coming in at number 8 on our list.

The New Orleans Saints took a gamble when they selected Terron Armstead, a small school Division I offensive line prospect with 75th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. But the risk was well worth the reward, as the Saints have found themselves a premier left tackle for years to come.

Armstead is an elite talent that anchors arguably the best offensive line in the league. He has shown time and time again just how important he is in protecting Drew Brees’ blindside, especially as Brees surpasses the age of 41.

The six-foot-five, 300-pounder has been selected to the Pro Bowl for the past two seasons, in addition to earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2018. He has not only dominated on the field in his time with New Orleans but has also taken on a leadership role in the locker room, being elected team captain in 2018 and 2019.

The recurring problem with Armstead has been his inability to stay healthy. In his seven seasons in the NFL, Armstead has yet to complete a full 16-game season. He has suffered a ton of injuries and has ended up on injured reserve multiple times.

Although injury prone, the 28-year old is hands down one of the toughest players on the team. He has fought and played through countless ailments, including this past season when he suffered a high-ankle sprain in late November against the Carolina Panthers.

In what was supposed to be a six-week minimum recovery period, Armstead missed only one game.

With only three-weeks of rest, Armstead returned to help the Saints take on the dominant 49ers defensive front. He played outstanding, holding rookie sensation Nick Bosa to only two tackles while playing on one leg.

The talent, ability, and leadership of Armstead is everything a coach wishes for in a player. He is a true example of how to handle being a pro athlete and is one of the many reasons why the Saints have such a strong culture.

He is undoubtedly one of, if not the best-left tackle in the game, and the Saints are extremely lucky to have him on the roster. If Armstead can stay healthy for a full season in 2020, the Saints should have no problems protecting Drew Brees’ blindside.

Terron Armstead’s average rank among our 12 writers was 8.6. Taysom Hill at No. 9 and Jared Cook at No. 10 were the other two to have cracked the top 10.