Saints Handed Dead Last Ranking From PFF For Their Offensive Line

The Saints continue to get bad rankings from PFF for their offense, with the offensive line being the most recent unit to face scrutiny.

Jan 1, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New Orleans Saints center Erik McCoy (78) waits to snap the football against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

When a new NFL season starts, there's always reasons for optimism. The Saints are obviously one of those teams who feel like they could turn the corner this season after missing the playoffs for three straight years.

A lot of success will hinge on their new offensive scheme under Klint Kubiak, which will rely heavily on a strong offensive line. Unfortunately, Pro Football Focus doesn't seem too high on them, handing New Orleans a dead last ranking for their offensive line. Here's their thoughts after weighing out what each does has or hasn't done to improve their unit this offseason.

On paper, the Saints' offensive line features four former first-round picks. But their performance says otherwise.

Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk will likely need to miss the entire season, which will force New Orleans to play Trevor Penning at that spot after benching him in 2023.

Right guard Cesar Ruiz has failed to rank among the top 50 guards in PFF overall grade in any of his first four seasons. As a result, the Saints have to hope that Oregon State product Taliese Fuaga will hit the ground running at left tackle to improve the unit.

The only constants on the line are Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz, while the other three spots are obviously question marks. There's nothing new or positive to report when it comes to Ryan Ramczyk, and it's best to assume that he won't be available this year.

New Orleans is banking on youth to help. We looked at several of the key players who can help there already in Trevor Penning and Nick Saldiveri. Rookie Taliese Fuaga hsa been used at left tackle throughout the early process, so it'll be interesting to see if that sticks when we get into training camp. New offensive line coach John Benton will be tasked with getting the line where it needs to be to protect Derek Carr and generate a better rushing attack in correlation with Rick Dennison.

If New Orleans can get what they need from their youth this year, then it could be nice for the short-term, but obviously pay huge dividends regarding their future. Veterans like Lucas Patrick, Shane Lemieux and Oli Udoh have been in a version of this offensive attack, so they are obviously players to keep tabs on in camp. We also can't forget about the plug-and-play abilities Landon Young has either.

For the Saints' sake, they need their offensive line to come alive this season, and they'll get tested early on in Weeks 2 and 3 when they face the talented front sevens of the Cowboys and Eagles.