Saints Promising Year Could Be Derailed By These Players

A talented Saints team and a promising season will go nowhere until massive improvement is seen from this group of players.

New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr left in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers with a shoulder injury. The injury is a sprain to the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. Coach Dennis Allen says that Carr is "week to week", but he's certain to miss at least some time. 

This marks the fifth straight year that the Saints have lost their starting quarterback to injury. Four of those five times have come before the mid-season point. In 2019 and 2020, Drew Brees missed a combined nine games after being injured. Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2021. Dennis Allen elected to stay with backup Andy Dalton in 2022 after Winston was sidelined with a back injury in Week 3.

The Saints went a combined 8-1 without Brees in 2019 and 2020. In 2021 and 2022, they were 10-14 after losing Winston. Recognizing how important a quality backup quarterback is, New Orleans reworked Winston's contract this offseason to keep him with the team after signing Carr.

Winston is capable of leading the offense. He's also working with perhaps the best set of receivers he's had in his career. Chris Olave has developed into one of the NFL's best. Now healthy, Michael Thomas is showing he is still a dominant intermediate weapon. Rashid Shaheed is a lethal threat to defenses, and Juwan Johnson is one of the league's underrated tight ends. Additionally, RB Alvin Kamara returns this Sunday after a three-game suspension to start the season. 

None of that may matter. Not unless the New Orleans offensive line suddenly transforms into a competent unit, something we've not remotely seen in the first three games. 

Injuries happen, but Carr has taken enormous punishment this season. Over three games, opponents have recorded 12 sacks, 20 QB hits, and 28 pressures against what passes for a New Orleans offensive line. The running game has fared almost as badly.

Only four teams have averaged worse than the Saints' 3.4 per carry as they've managed only 93 rushing yards per game. When defenders aren't pouring into the New Orleans backfield, the line has committed more than a few costly penalties to either cause the team to move backwards or nullify key plays.

Injuries have battered this unit in recent seasons, but when healthy they'd still flashed the productivity of a top-tier line. This is a group with four first-round picks and a second-round choice, with four of it's top six players high quality starters for multiple years and a fifth coming off his best season. None of them have played anywhere near that level in 2023.

Tackles 

Green Bay Packers linebacker Rashan Gary (52) sacks New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4). Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Trevor Penning is taking most of the heat from the fan base, but that's a bit misinformed. Yes, Penning was lousy in the season opener against Tennessee, giving up three sacks, a boatload of pressures, and making Arden Key look like a perennial All-Pro. 

Since then, the Saints have often shifted a tight end or running back to help Penning in passing situations. Still, he's shown progress in the last two contests. He was arguably the team’s best linemen against Green Bay, albeit in putrid performance by the entire unit.

The 19th overall choice in the 2022 NFL Draft, Penning is still very inexperienced. Remember that he's made just four NFL starts while missing most of his rookie year after playing collegiately at FCS Northern Iowa. He is developing quickly as a physical run blocker and has the tools in pass protection.

At least Penning has shown progress. The rest of the line has actually deteriorated after an already inauspicious start. 

Maybe the most baffling of the line's struggles has been from RT Ryan Ramczyk. Not long ago, Ramczyk was an elite player who routinely silenced even top pass rushers. Over the last two games, he's been a sieve against opposing pass rushers.

Green Bay's Rashan Gary is a solid edge rusher. Against Ramczyk last Sunday, he looked worthy of an induction in the Hall of Fame. Ramczyk has looked stuck in concrete against both the Packers and Panthers the previous week, as rushers consistently had free paths to the quarterback on both his inside and outside shoulders.

Backup OT Landon Young was brought in for a few plays as an extra blocker on Ramczyk's side. Even that jumbo package did little to slow the Packers' outside pass rush and made little difference in the running game. 

Center/Guards

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) is sacked by Carolina Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu (49). Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans tackles have been atrocious in pass protection and opening up outside rushing lanes. The Saints interior blockers have been equally inept with their duties. 

Right guard Cesar Ruiz left the loss against Green Bay with a concussion. Before that, especially against Carolina, he resembled the 2021 version of Ruiz that was a turnstile in pass protection and unable to get any push for the running game rather than the breakout player we saw last season. 

With Ruiz out, the Saints shifted LG James Hurst to the right side and brought in three-time Pro Bowler Andrus Peat in at left guard. The duo was inconsistent, at best, in pass protection and struggled to establish the run.

Peat is on the back side of his career, but should still be capable of quality snaps. Hurst is a reliable and versatile veteran, but has been unremarkable over three games. Ruiz is the recent recipient of a long-term contract extension.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) gestures before the snap for center Erik McCoy (78) during the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Another surprising struggle is that of fifth-year C Erik McCoy. Considered one of the league's underrated centers coming into the year, McCoy has consistently whiffed on inside help assignments and been pushed backwards on inside runs.

The Saints have been helpless against inside twists and stunts from interior pass rushers. Inexcusable for four players that have a combined 233 starts between them and are accustomed to playing next to each other. 

Without the dynamic Kamara and explosive rookie RB Kendre Miller sidelined for two games, it was imperative that the Saints run the ball inside. For the most part, McCoy, Ruiz, and Hurst have been unable to open up interior lanes. This has often caused the offense to be one-dimensional for a line that's already failed to provide even adequate protection. 

New Orleans now faces an athletic and aggressive defensive front seven in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Saints have the playmakers to be an effective offense and a capable quarterback behind center in Winston until Carr returns. However, a promising unit and a promising season could quickly be derailed if this offensive line continues to be an open invitation for opposing defenders to have their way.