Saints’ success could hinge on top pick Taliese Fuaga, new-look offensive line

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

Offensive line will be a pivotal position for the Saints in 2024, and as New Orleans tries to match or exceed last year’s 9-8 record, the line will likely have three new starters, notable in an offseason with modest overall change to the roster.

All five starters could be 26 or younger, a much less experienced group playing for new position coaches and a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak. 

But quarterback Derek Carr likes what he’s seen from the group this spring.

“I think they’ve had a wonderful camp and OTAs and offseason. I really do,” Carr said last week during the team’s mandatory minicamp. “But I think the coolest thing I’ve seen [is] that unit coming together. They are a walking herd down the hallway wherever they go. That unity, that bond, that cohesiveness, that togetherness, I thought they were close last year, but this is another level. … Everyone’s bought in. It’s just different. You can just feel a different stampede coming down the hall.”

Two veteran starters from last year are gone, as guard James Hurst retired and guard Andrus Peat signed with the Raiders in free agency. A bigger loss could be tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who continues to be limited by a knee injury that could be career-ending. As such, the Saints have a new look built around two former first-round picks in center Erik McCoy, 26, and guard Cesar Ruiz, 25. McCoy was rated as the NFL’s No. 5 center by Pro Football Focus last season and is the line’s undisputed leader, but he’ll oversee a largely unproven line this fall.

The headliner is left tackle Taliese Fuaga, the team’s first-round pick from Oregon State, and his arrival will allow the Saints to shift 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning, who has struggled in two seasons, to right tackle. Left guard is more up for grabs, but the favorite after minicamp is second-year pro Nick Saldiveri, a fourth-round pick out of Old Dominion who played only 18 snaps…

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Publish date : 2024-06-17 20:44:30

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