Max Unger’s foot is hurt. That is a certainty. How long he will be sidelined for the Saints is not.
After multiple reports came out earlier this week that the Hawaii Preparatory Academy graduate had surgery on his foot and would start the season on the injured reserve, it seems he may be back sooner than anticipated. According to ProFootballTalk.com, the Saints expect that the centerpiece of their offensive line will return during the preseason.
Last season, Unger dealt with a foot issue late in the year, missing a game in Tampa Bay in December. But the 31-year-old center has made 31 of a possible 32 starts in his first two seasons with the Saints.
Unger came over to the Saints from Seattle in a blockbuster deal that sent tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks in 2015. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder was a two-time Pro Bowler in Seattle, and is still one of the top players at his position. Pro Football Focus ranked Unger as the 11th-best center in the league last season. In August, the Saints rewarded him with a three-year extension that will pay him $21 million.
Unger will be an important cog for the Saints if they plan to take back the NFC South — a division that has had teams make an apperance in back-to-back Super Bowls with Carolina in 2016 and Atlanta this past season. New Orleans last won the division in 2011.
He is expected to help open holes from newly-signed running back Adrian Peterson, and protect a good, but aging Drew Brees.