The Saints Beat: Mickey Loomis' Ranking, Ruiz's Option, More Moreau News
In today's The Saints Beat, we dissect a curious Mickey Loomis general manager ranking, how the draft may affect Cesar Ruiz's contract option, and more encouraging news from tight end Foster Moreau.
Mickey Loomis' Average Ranking
Gregg Rosenthal of the NFL Podcast ranked the top decision-makers in NFL front offices. Since arriving in 2000 at the New Orleans Saints organization, Mickey Loomis evolved from director of football administration to the team's current executive vice president and general manager. His club has won at the highest level of professional football, bringing home the Lombardi Trophy from Super Bowl 44 and adding multiple division titles to his resume.
Still, Rosenthal ranks Loomis at No. 14, while the Detroit Lions' recently-appointed general manager Brad Holmes is No. 7.
Excerpts from Rosenthal's report:
- I give the Saints' front office credit for creatively working around the cap...
- The process isn't necessarily flawed, but the execution is...
- Loomis hired Dennis Allen and has stuck by him...
- Continuing to spend big on a defense in decline feels short-sighted...
- The trade of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was a total misfire, and the Saints' decision to let Marcus Williams walk while signing Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye ultimately hurt...
- This is a franchise that feels a bit all over the place since the final days of Sean Payton's tenure...
What do you think of his comments and ranking?
The Cesar Ruiz Decision Looms
PFF's Brad Spielberger evaluated 20 NFL players who would have the most to lose or gain from the pending draft. The topic of New Orleans picking up the fifth-year option on former first-round pick and guard Cesar Ruiz was insightful.
Ruiz had one of his best seasons until a foot injury at home against the Falcons derailed in the 2023-24 season. The Michigan product recently tweeted, "Man, it feels good wearing 2 sneakers again," after being in a protective boot.
Should New Orleans exercise their fifth-year option on Ruiz, it will come with a $14.175M price tag. Spielberger noted, "Florida's O'Cyrus Torrence is viewed by many as a potential first-rounder. He has been commonly mocked to New Orleans, where he could hold up well in pass protection and excel with a heavy dose of gap scheme rushes."
New Orleans could select a solid addition for their offensive line from the first through 3rd rounds. Don't forget G Andrus Peat has had the injury bug with the Saints. Another versatile lineman could be high on the New Orleans draft board in Metairie.
More on Foster Moreau's Cancer Diagnosis
Foster Moreau's visit with New Orleans team physician Dr. John Amoss saved his life. The medical staff diagnosed Moreau with Hodgkin's Lymphoma during the routine physical conducted by the club. He returned to New Orleans to complete his physical, hoping to stay in the league after his treatments.
Foster shared the experience with ABC News' Good Morning America:
"He sat me down, and he goes, 'You've heard of Hodgkin's Lymphoma, right?' And I say, 'Yeah.' And he goes, 'OK, well, from the tests that we see, that could be a strong possibility."
The shocking news sent him back home as doctors confirmed his stage-two cancer. However, they gave Foster a favorable prognosis.
"It's at stage 2, so it's spread from the initial location. But it appears to be a slow spread, and we should be able to get rid of all of it," Moreau said. It's encouraging news for the young talented tight end. Also, it's an inspirational message for young adults not to overlook getting physicals and possible health issues.
"There's no other way to look at it, right? So I'm preparing for my opponent, right? Hodgkin's lymphoma, chemotherapy, I'm preparing for being on an IV for six, seven, eight hours. Whatever it takes, right? Because I mean, there's no other option. There's no option," Moreau mentioned.
More New Orleans Saints News notes, quotes, and nuggets will appear on The Saints Beat this weekend.
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