The Saints have made a big change to their defense just before the start of training camp.
According to multiple reports, the Saints have released linebacker Junior Galette. Galette signed a six-year deal with the team last September that has already paid him more than $17 million, but he’s gone after turning in 10 sacks in 16 games for the team last season.
This probably isn’t about Galette’s ability to produce on the field, however. Galette was arrested this offseason on domestic violence charges, which were later dropped, and then a video surfaced that appeared to show Galette hitting a woman twice. He said last month that he was scheduled to talk to the NFL about off-field troubles, but the league wouldn’t confirm whether a meeting took place or say if Galette will be disciplined earlier this week.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that meeting has taken place and that the Saints have been frustrated with Galette for some time, something that Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune is reporting as well. Galette also has a pectoral injury that limited his offseason participation, although the hope was that he’d be back to work in camp.
That’s not going to happen and the Saints are going to have to look elsewhere for pass rushing help this season. Anthony Spencer, Parys Haralson, 2015 second-round pick Hau’oli Kikaha and 2014 fifth-rounder Ronald Powell are the outside linebackers they now have on hand.
