METAIRIE, La. -- Junior Galette won't need surgery for his pectoral injury, a source confirmed to ESPN, which means the New Orleans Saints' top pass-rusher might be healthy in time for the start of the regular season.
Galette met with Dr. James Andrews on Monday and learned he'll just need rest and rehab for the injury, which he suffered while lifting weights earlier in the month, according to the source.
The update on Galette was first reported Monday by the NFL Network.
That's obviously great news for a Saints defense that is intent on bouncing back from a dreadful 2014 in which it ranked 31st in the NFL in yards allowed and dead last in overall efficiency, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Galette, 27, has led the Saints with a total of 22 sacks over the past two years -- 12 in 2013 and 10 last season.
Although Galette was plagued by inconsistency in 2014, losing containment on the edge at times, he's still the closest thing New Orleans has to an elite pass-rusher. Pro Football Focus gave the 6-foot-2, 258-pounder the fifth-best pass-rushing grade in the NFL last season, crediting him with 13 QB hits and 45 hurries.
It's possible the Saints might consider using Galette as more of a pass-rush specialist on passing downs, especially if he needs time to get back to full speed early in the season.
There were signs the Saints might be considering that even before the injury, which would make sense because Galette isn't as strong a run defender as he is a pass-rusher -- and the Saints play in their nickel defense about 75 percent of the time.
The Saints used Galette on only passing downs late last season when he was dealing with a minor knee injury. And they lined up newcomer Anthony Spencer ahead of him in a base-run package early in organized team activities.
Galette, who joined the Saints as an undrafted rookie out of Stillman College in 2010, has 31.5 career sacks. He signed a four-year, $41.5 million contract extension at the start of last season.