Pending free agent defensive end Junior Galette will re-sign with the Redskins, he announced Tuesday on Instagram. Gallette’s contract will become official Wednesday, per Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com.
It will presumably be a third straight one-year pact for Galette, who inked deals with the Redskins in each of the previous two offseasons. However, injuries have prevented the former Saint from playing a single down with Washington thus far. Galette, 28, has torn his Achilles on two separate occasions – once in August 2015 and again last July – thereby stunting a promising career.
Before signing with the Redskins in 2015, Galette racked up 31.5 sacks in five seasons with the Saints. The bulk of those sacks (22), as well as four of his five career forced fumbles, came during his final two years in New Orleans.
Galette’s career-high 12-sack showing in 2013 led the Saints to sign him to a four-year, $41.5MM extension. However, they cut him a year later because of unbecoming off-field behavior – including a domestic violence incident – and had to eat a significant amount of dead money as a result. The NFL handed Galette a two-game suspension in 2015 on account of his domestic violence violation, though it didn’t actually cost him any playing time because he was already on the shelf.
If Galette bounces back from an injury-plagued two years to make the Redskins’ roster in 2017, he’ll attempt to boost a defense that finished this season ninth in sacks but just 25th in DVOA.