Junior Galette will miss 2nd straight season with torn Achilles

Washington signed outside linebacker Junior Galette last July on a one-year deal, and he has yet to take the field after suffering a torn Achilles tendon prior to the start of the 2015 season. Galette signed another one-year deal with Washington in March, but according to NFL Media’s Rand Getlin, Galette will be sidelined for the entirety of the 2016 season, too, after tearing the other Achilles.

Galette entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints following the 2010 NFL Draft. After racking up just 9.5 sacks over his first three seasons in New Orleans, Galette’s productivity exploded. In 2013, he finished the season with 12 sacks and two pass breakups. In 2014, his 10 sacks convinced the Saints to give him a four-year, $41.5 million dollar contract in 2014.

Just one year and quite a bit of drama later, Galette was released by New Orleans. When he was released, he reacted by lashing out at the Saints via his girlfriend’s Twitter account. There were also domestic violence allegations against him, and the league issued a two-game suspension to Galette, which he served last season while on injured reserve.

Galette released a video via his Twitter account and, in the accompanying tweet, expressed frustration with the situation.

On Tuesday, coach Jay Gruden told ESPN 950 in Richmond that the injury happened when Galette “was doing some standard get-offs I guess and popped the other [Achilles].”

Still, Gruden believes Galette can make a full recovery:

“I’m sure Junior will bounce back. It’s going to be hard on him this year, but he’ll bounce back in a big way.”

Washington needed help with its pass rush, which is why the team took a chance on Galette despite what happened in New Orleans. The pass rush was middling last season, coming in at 24th in Football Outsiders’ defensive line rankings.