“We’re upset, obviously, moreso for him as an individual,” Gruden said. “Just watching him work and get ready from the previous injury — how hard he was training, the attitude he came into the building and the excitement he was going to add to this football team — only to see it cut short by another Achilles’, I’m — devastated is a good word — for him. For this football team, injuries are part of the game, and we have to rebound.

Coaches had planned on using Galette alongside Ryan Kerrigan, who led the team with 9.5 sacks last season, and Preston Smith (eight sacks). Now, Gruden and his assistants, and General Manager Scot McCloughan and his staff, must decide whether to add another veteran to the roster.

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Gruden said on Wednesday that for now, team officials will evaluate the talent currently on the roster to help determine whether or not they need additional help.

“We’re going to look at the young guys we have in the building that we’re excited about,” Gruden said. “Some good pass-rushers in here. And they’re going to have to produce.”

Gruden mentioned Lynden Trail (a 6-foot-7, 270-pound Norfolk State product who spent time on Washington’s practice squad last year), Houston Bates (a 6-3, 252-pound second-year pro out of Louisiana Tech) and Willie Jefferson (6-5, 246-pound second-year pro out of Stephen F. Austin) as the top young prospects who will get a chance to prove themselves to the team’s talent evaluators.

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This offseason, Washington moved third-year pro Trent Murphy from outside linebacker to defensive end, having him pack on 30 pounds to better handle the rigors of the interior line position. Gruden said for now, there’s no talk of moving Murphy, a second-round pick in 2014, back to linebacker.

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Dwight Freeney and Greg Hardy rank among the most talented free agent pass-rushers on the streets. But people with knowledge of the situation had said this week that Washington wasn’t considering either.

Washington last season ranked 14th in the NFL with 38 sacks, but finished the year 25th against the pass, yielding 4,128 yards and 30 touchdowns.