Saints’ Galette latest OTA casualty

The NFL’s Organized Team Activities are taking a heavy toll this June.

Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette is the latest player to suffer an injury. Galette sat on the sidelines for Thursday’s open-media practice, with the culprit reportedly being a torn pectoral muscle.

Galette is reportedly mulling surgery, which could potentially keep him out for most, if not all, of the 2015 season. He had 10 sacks last season and was signed a contract extension with the club last October. New Orleans is expecting Galette and Cameron Jordan, who was just signed to an extension of his own, to provide the bulk of its edge rushing in the upcoming season.

Losing Galette would be a big blow for the Saints, but they are far from the only team heading into the summer with injury concerns for the fall.

The most notable is Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady, who was lost for the season after tearing his left ACL. Titans cornerback Brandon Harris is awaiting official word on his knee injury suffered on Tuesday. And the No. 3 pick in last month’s draft, Jaguars outside linebacker Dante Fowler, will start his career on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in the first practice of his pro career.

Despite the rash of injuries, OTAs aren’t going anywhere. With NFL rosters and coaching staffs constantly changing, teams want guys learning their playbooks and staying in shape so they can hit the ground running come the start of training camp.

Rams release rookie Sasser due to heart condition

On Thursday, wide receiver Bud Sasser became the first 2015 draft pick to be released by his team when he was cut loose by the Rams. And as you would expect from a roster move that took place just a month after the draft, the circumstances are unusual.

Sasser was granted his signing bonus after agreeing to terms with the team, then granted his release because of a non-football related illness. The four-year starter at Missouri was diagnosed with a heart condition by team physicians, who recommended that he not play. According to Rams coach Jeff Fisher, such tests are typically conducted at the draft combine, but Sasser was not invited to participate in that event.

Though the Rams have given up on Sasser, he is apparently still chasing his football dream. His agent, Scott Thiel, sent a text message to Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune reporter David Morrison indicating that Sasser received a second opinion from doctors at the Mayo Clinic.

“He has a very small case of the diagnosis given in St. Louis, he is at little to no risk, he should be able to play,” Thiel wrote. “The doctor told Bud he in fact knows there are others in the league playing with this same issue.”

Mizzou officials took a bit of umbrage to the Rams’ assessment as well, stating that it could not specifically discuss Sasser’s history because of medical privacy laws, but that “nobody is allowed on the field if our medical team isn’t comfortable with their health situation.”

Sasser will have to be cleared by the medical staff of whichever team he latches on with next, if that happens. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound receiver had 77 catches for 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior before being taken by St. Louis in the sixth round.

Owners to meet on Aug. 11 to further discuss L.A.

A date has been set for NFL owner to gather and discuss developments in the league’s efforts to relocate a team to Los Angeles.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was first with the news, reporting that the owners will gather in Chicago on August 11. There isn’t expected to be any news announced from the meeting, but merely an update on the timeline for the three teams currently eyeing the L.A. market and any progress that has been made towards new facilities in their current cities of St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland.

Whether it is one or two of those teams – three seems absolutely unrealistic – the expectation is that someone will be playing football in Los Angeles in 2016. The August meeting will probably present the league’s fellow owners with a better picture of which team is in the best position to make that happen.