The New Orleans Saints offensive line has been slowly improving the last few seasons. One of the major reasons why it has gotten better is because of center Max Unger.
Unger came aboard through the Jimmy Graham trade back in 2015 and had only missed one game in the last two seasons. Now, he could be missing the start of the 2017 season due to a foot injury that came up towards the end of 2016.
He will be put on the physically unable to perform list as first reported by Ian Rapoport. The Saints center recently underwent surgery and will miss about five months.
When it comes to the Saints in 2017, having their star center potentially out for the first few games of the season is a major issue. Unger had been the anchor on this offensive line for the last two seasons and with what seems to be more of an emphasis on the run game with the acquisition of Adrian Peterson in free agency and drafting Alvin Kamara in the third round, the center position will need to find that interim starter in a hurry.
Looking at the roster for the Saints in 2017, you could seemingly put Senio Kelemente in that slot and put Andrus Peat in the other guard slot. Kelemente is listed as a guard/center, but may need some time to develop into a serviceable player in that position and become the kind of leader that Unger has been in that position.
There are other options though. You could put in former Michigan State center Jack Allen. After spending his first season in the NFL on the practice squad, he has learned the system and knows how to be a leader between the trenches. You could also go into the murky waters of free agency and get a veteran aboard to fill the void until Unger is 100 percent.
Whoever that person is, he will have a lot of pressure put on him to please Drew Brees and the loaded backfield. That means he will need to learn quickly.
-Clint Domingue