Much of the attention with regard to the New Orleans Saints offensive line this offseason has focused on its tackles, but there will also be a new starter on the interior as well.
Veteran James Hurst, who played both tackle and guard for New Orleans but spent most of last season as the starter at left guard, announced his retirement in April. The Saints have incumbents ready at both center and right guard in Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz, but left guard is still up for grabs.
The early indication is that 2023 fourth-rounder Nick Saldiveri will be given the opportunity to seize the role, but the Saints have options ready in case the unproven Saldiveri is not ready to be a starting NFL offensive lineman.
Here is where the Saints’ interior offensive line stands before training camp.
Current roster
Guards
- Cesar Ruiz
- Nick Saldiveri
- Oli Udoh
- Shane Lemieux
- Lucas Patrick
- Kyle Hergel
- Nouri Nouili
- Mark Evans
Centers
- Erik McCoy
- Sincere Haynesworth
- Lucas Patrick
Burning question
Can Saldiveri hold down the starting left guard job? And if not him, then who?
All of the feedback to this point in time regarding Saldiveri has been positive. The coaching staff has praised him for the way he reshaped his body this offseason, and he has been given virtually all of the first-team practice snaps during the portions of the offseason period that were open to media viewing.
That said, a lot of things can and will change between now and the start of the season. It is hard to get a true gauge of where the offensive line is at until the team puts on pads and lets its big men go after one another full speed.
There is also almost nothing to go on with Saldiveri. Of the 35 games he started at Old Dominion, 34 came at right tackle (with the other at right guard). And his rookie season in New Orleans was effectively a redshirt year, with Saldiveri appearing in only four games and playing just 18 offensive snaps.
Basically, the Saints know a lot more about him than anybody else at this point. That they have been willing to work him in with the first team should be a positive sign for Saldiveri’s development, but the fact remains that he is unproven.
Should Saldiveri falter in his mission to claim the starting left guard job, the Saints have some proven veteran depth behind him.
Oli Udoh did not participate in team drills during OTAs or veteran minicamp, but he has started the equivalent of a full season at guard for the Minnesota Vikings. He may be this team’s version of Hurst — a player who can fill in at either guard or tackle as needed — and his role may be dependent on whether Saldiveri or right tackle Trevor Penning is unable to lock down a starting spot.
New Orleans also signed veterans Lucas Patrick (54 career starts) and Shane Lemieux (12 career starts) to provide depth — and a few experienced backup plans in case they need to break the glass. Lemieux took a handful of first-team reps in OTAs, while Patrick has been splitting his time between center and guard.
Bold prediction
Both Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz outplay their contracts.
McCoy is the NFL’s fourth-highest paid center, at $12 million per year. Ruiz is the NFL’s seventh-highest paid right guard, at $11 million per year. McCoy will turn 27 about a week before the start of the season, while Ruiz is still just 25. The bet here is that both of them turn in the best seasons of their professional careers.
The Saints invested heavily in their offensive line coaching this offseason after a sub-standard 2023 campaign. They hired John Benton, who brought two decades of experience coaching NFL offensive lines with him. To assist Benton, they hired Rick Dennison, who has been coaching in the NFL since the mid-90s and has four separate stints as an offensive coordinator under his belt.
Those two coaches, combined with a new offensive scheme that seems tailored for the Saints’ athletic offensive line, should get the most out of talented young players like McCoy and Ruiz.
McCoy already has the bona fides, making the Pro Bowl as an alternate last year. Now, as the unquestioned leader of the offensive line group, he feels like a player poised to enter the discussion for the NFL’s best centers.
Ruiz is a bit more of a gamble. He has flashed big-time ability but has never been able to consistently put it together, and he followed his breakout 2022 season with a sometimes rough 2023. But the bet here is that Benton and Dennison are able to get more out of Ruiz’s obvious ability and have him meriting Pro Bowl votes by the end of the season.