Why Trevor Penning Has Created A Huge Problem For Saints

How Trevor Penning's continued poor play could put the Saints in desperation mode with no viable solutions

Green Bay Packers linebacker Kingsley Enagbare (55) points out a holding penalty committed by New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Trevor Penning (70) / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

Offensive lineman Trevor Penning is creating a bigger problem almost daily for the New Orleans Saints. A learning curve was expected, as Penning was moving from left tackle to right tackle this offseason. However, early indications show that he's still a major liability on an offensive line that already has several other concerns.

A first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Northern Iowa, Penning was the 19th overall selection and sixth offensive lineman chosen. Even coming from an FCS school, he was expected to take over as the starter at left tackle relatively quickly.

Trevor Penning's Results

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) rushes against New Orleans Saints tackle Trevor Penning (70) / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

A foot injury suffered in the final preseason game of 2022 sidelined Penning for the first 11 contests of his rookie year. Upon his return, he was used as an extra lineman until getting his first career start against Carolina in the season finale.

Essentially handed the left tackle job going into 2023, Penning struggled throughout training camp and preseason. Those struggles were amplified once the regular season started. Poor play caused coaches to bench Penning just six games into the 2023 campaign. Even with subpar play and injuries across the entire line, a healthy Penning would play only 13 offensive snaps over the last 11 games of the year.

Penning's poor play and a knee injury to RT Ryan Ramczyk that will cost him the entire 2024 season forced the Saints to prioritize a tackle early in the draft. They ultimately selected Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga with the 14th overall choice. Even though Fuaga was predominantly a right tackle in college, New Orleans elected to move him to the left side and switch Penning to right tackle in hopes of salvaging his career.

Trevor Penning's play has not improved since the position change. In fact, you could argue that he's continued to regress. Penning has been beaten repeatedly during training camp drills. His pass protection was absolutely abysmal in Saturday's preseason opener against Arizona.

New Orleans Saints running back Tony Jones Jr. (34) follows a block by offensive tackle Trevor Penning (70) against the Carolina Panthers / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

It's easy to forget that Penning is still extremely inexperienced. Remember that he has only six career starts and has played only 20 snaps or more in eight contests. However, he's shown zero development and is actually showing signs of regression.

Penning has been absolutely helpless against speed rushers, especially on his inside shoulder. His footwork has been awful, often causing him to reach as a run blocker and nullifying his power, thought to be his best trait, in the running game or against bull rushers as a pass protector.

Saints Options At Right Tackle

New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Trevor Penning (70) looks on during a minicamp practice / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans signed T/G Oli Udoh in free agency. Udoh has played both tackle spots and was a starter for a year at guard for the Vikings, but has predominantly been a backup through his five-year career. Seventh-round rookie T Josiah Ezirim played the right side throughout his collegiate career with Eastern Kentucky, but is mostly viewed as a raw project.

Landon Young, a sixth-round choice in 2021, is the team's only returning tackle other than Penning. Young has seven career starts and has played both tackle spots over his three-year career. However, he's highly limited and can be a liability when forced into the lineup. Additionally, both Udoh and Young played poorly against the Cardinals.

Simply put, there are no viable options on the roster if Penning falters. This would force the Saints to look into free agency options. Here are the tackles currently available who have played right tackle.

• Halapoulivaati Vaitai (age = 31)
• Donovan Smith (31)
• D.J. Humphries (30)
• Cameron Fleming (32)

New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Trevor Penning (70) looks on against the Carolina Panthers / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Vaitai is better suited at guard and had back surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2022 campaign before a knee injury limited him to just three starts last year. Smith was mostly a left tackle at Tampa Bay, but played a reasonable amount on the right side and was limited in pass protection even in his prime. Humphries started his career at right tackle before moving to the left side. Fleming is a journeyman who has just 62 starts at both tackles with four different teams over a 10-year career.

David Bakhtiari, Duane Brown, and Charles Leno are far more recognizable names still available as free agents. However, each are well past their prime and none of the three have ever played right tackle in the NFL. To sign any of them would more likely mean moving Fuaga back to the right side, a difficult transition for a rookie.

In other words, the free agent market as it currently stands provides no viable solution. The Saints could, and probably will, explore the market after teams cut their rosters to 53 players on August 27. However, that would be relying on discarded players from other teams and asking them to learn the New Orleans offense on the fly.

That would be a desperation move. Then again, Penning's continued poor play may force exactly that kind of desperation. The Saints need Trevor Penning to develop into at least a serviceable blocker. Otherwise, it could be a long year in the Big Easy.