New Orleans Saints left tackle Terron Armstead is one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, being selected for both the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro rosters in 2018. That’s quite an accomplishment for a 27-year old, but he’s attacking the offseason with enthusiasm to continue improving.
One stop on his tour included the Offensive Line Masterminds Conference, organized by Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson and his college position coach, Duke Manyweather. This clinic for professional and collegiate linemen began as an answer to Von Miller’s pass rush summit, which was joined by Saints teammates Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport. Johnson and Armstead saw the NFL’s pass rushers gathering to work and learn together, so they put their own event on the map to help the league’s blockers match the pace.
Armstead is respected league-wide both for his elite athleticism (his 4.71-second time in the 40-yard dash is still an NFL Scouting Combine record) as his consistently-sound technique. So his perspective was a welcome addition for the players gathered at Johnson’s clinic.
And he didn’t come alone. His new teammate, rookie center Erik McCoy, was also on hand for a weekend of workouts and film study with the best blockers from around the NFL. While McCoy hasn’t won the starting job outright just yet, he’s off to a fast start and was dominating practice reps earlier this summer. It’s encouraging to see two potential Saints cornerstones putting in work together so early in their careers.
