In a recent press conference, New Orleans Saints linebacker Pete Werner stated that he thinks he will be back to 100% this season. Not a lot has been disclosed on what happened with Werner or what kind of treatment he underwent, however, it sounds as if he is confident in his health and ready to get the season started.
Pete Werner’s Health History
Werner has not had any major injuries up to this point in his career. This most recent debacle was the only stated injury he has had since joining the NFL as a rookie last season. Werner was placed on the NFL’s active/noninjury list. Interestingly, he was still able to practice with the team while on the list. Only five days after being placed on the noninjury list, Werner was taken off of the list and was placed back on the Saint’s active roster. After being taken off of the list, Werner rejoined the Saints in their practices and team activities. This is one of the oddest “injury” cases that we have seen in a while. On one hand, Werner himself said that he thinks he will be back to 100% this season. This implies that he is bouncing back from some sort of injury. However, it is peculiar that he was never placed on an injury list or ruled out of practices, and whatever injury he suffered was never disclosed. While it is certain that some type of injury did occur, fans will continue to wonder what exactly was injured and where or when it occurred.
What the New Orleans Saints Can Expect From Him
With Pete Werner being at 100% this season, it is more than fair for the New Orleans Saints organization and their fans to have some high expectations for him this year. He was the 60th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft after spending three seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Werner had an illustrious career with Ohio State where he was a standout linebacker and a part of many talented defensive units the Buckeyes put out during his time with the team. Werner had a solid rookie season with the Saints, with New Orleans still being a team that is contending for playoff runs, they are not always the most eager to start rookie players right off of the bat. As a result of this, Werner only started in eight of his fifteen games played with the team last year. Coming into this season, Werner is already listed as one of the team’s starting linebackers. Barring any more health troubles this year, Werner is set to really make a name for himself in his starting role. He is a great run-stopper and has a way to get to quarterbacks quickly even from the backer spot. Although he is not the best in pass coverage, Werner is not targeted by opposing quarterbacks and also knows how to play to his strengths. He is set to have an incredible year in his second season in the NFL, despite it getting off to a very odd start.
