Left Guard Battle Crucial To New Orleans Saints Success

While most eyes will be on the tackle spots, it's also crucial that someone takes control of the left guard competition for the Saints offensive line.

New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri / USA TODAY SPORTS

Entering this offseason, the New Orleans Saints faced a monumental task to fix an offensive line that was among the worst in the league last season. The Saints ranked just 21st in rushing production and were next-to-last in yards per run. Additionally, New Orleans quarterbacks were sacked 35 times and were often forced to get rid of the ball under heavy duress.

Most have focused on the two tackle spots for the Saints since last season ended. New Orleans used their first round choice on Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga, who will likely start on the left side. Trevor Penning, a 2022 first-round pick, is being moved to the right side to replace an injured Ryan Ramczyk, out for the year.

What has been slightly overlooked were the issues that the Saints also had with interior blocking. Neither RG Cesar Ruiz or C Erik McCoy played up to their capabilities. Veteran LG James Hurst retired, while G/T Andrus Peat moved on in free agency.

The Saints News Network will be covering individual and position battles throughout training camp. One such battle is along the interior of the offensive line, an underrated key to whether this offense will have any success this season.

LEFT GUARD BATTLE

• Nick Saldiveri
• Shane Lemieux
• Lucas Patrick
• Olisaemeka Udoh

New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri (64) in action against the Houston Texans / neworleanssaints.com

NICK SALDIVERI

New Orleans traded up to select Saldiveri out of Old Dominion with the first choice (#103 overall) in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. A right tackle throughout his collegiate career, Saldiveri was moved inside by the Saints.

Even with all the issues up front last season, Saldiveri was able to see just four games of action as a rookie and only 18 offensive snaps. Part of that was due to various injuries, including a shoulder injury that caused him to go on injured reserve for the final five games of the year.

Saldiveri, who turns 24 in August, was given most of the first-team reps throughout OTA and mini-camp practices. It remains to be seen whether the job is his to lose as training camp begins.

Nov 8, 2020; New York Giants guard Shane Lemieux (66) blocks Washington defensive tackle Tim Settle (97) / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

SHANE LEMIEUX

Lemieux, 27, was a fifth-round choice in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Oregon by the New York Giants. He was a starter by the midway point of his rookie year and looked to have a promising future.

Unfortunately, injuries have caused Lemieux's once promising stock to plummet. Knee, toe, and biceps injuries have sidelined him for huge chunks of time in each of the last three years. In all, Lemieux has been active for just six of a possible 51 games since 2021.

Shane Lemieux showed initially that he could be a solid starter. If he can play as he did as a rookie, and most importantly, stay healthy, then perhaps he could be a free-agent steal for New Orleans.

Dec 31, 2023; Chicago Bears guard Lucas Patrick (62) blocks Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata (90) / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

LUCAS PATRICK

Patrick arrived to the NFL in 2016 as an undrafted rookie with the Green Bay Packers out of Duke. He'd play sparingly over his first three seasons before starting 28 games between 2020 and 2021 for the Packers.

The Chicago Bears signed Patrick as a free agent in 2022. He'd start five of the first seven contests before a foot injury forced him to miss the rest of the year. Last season, Patrick started 15 of 17 games at center for the Bears.

Patrick, 31, brings valuable starting experience at all three interior line spots to New Orleans. In the past, the Saints have valued the ability of a lineman to play multiple positions. He also played for a Chicago coaching staff that included Andrew Janocko, current QB coach for the Saints.

Oct 17, 2021; Minnesota Vikings guard Oli Udoh (74) blocks for quarterback Kirk Cousins against the Carolina Panthers / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

OLI UDOH

A 2019 sixth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings out of Elon in North Carolina, Udoh was an under-the-radar addition by the Saints this offseason. He'd played all of his previous five years in Minnesota and started 16 of 17 games in 2021.

Much of Udoh's career has been at tackle, where his 6'6" and 320-Lb. frame is most ideal. However, he's also spent time at guard. It's where all of his starts were in 2021 and most of his snaps were the following year.

Minnesota's offensive coordinator in 2021, Udoh's best season, was current New Orleans offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Also on that Vikings staff was Rick Dennison, now a Senior Offensive Assistant with the Saints.

No matter who wins the left guard spot, it will be one of three new faces or players in new positions for the Saints up front. It's also important for Saldiveri, Lemieux, Patrick, or even Udoh to stand out and take control of a starting spot early. This way, the starting group can get as many reps together as possible to develop vital continuity early into this season.