Things aren’t looking good for Ryan Ramczyk. The New Orleans Saints’ former All-Pro right tackle was an excused absence from minicamp practice on Tuesday, and head coach Dennis Allen said he’s the only injured player not currently with the team.
“I think the plan all along is for him to have been back home, resting, doing his rehab plan there,” Allen said. “We’ve got a plan for him. Certainly we don’t have to make any decisions now, but I haven’t seen the progress that I was hoping to see. And so, yeah, we’ve got him at home doing his rehab there.”
But what progress has Ramczyk shown? When asked, Allen was quick to point out he had not seen either positive steps forward or negative setbacks. Things have not changed since Ramczyk was last evaluated in March.
“I would say it’s not trending in either direction right now, in terms of the progress. So I wouldn’t say there’s been much change since the last time we discussed it,” Allen continued. When asked about Ramczyk’s timeline for recovery and return to the field, he replied “We don’t have a timeline.”
It isn’t too unusual for a player to rehab an injury away from the team, but it stands out that Ramczyk is the only Saints player dealing with an injury away from the facility. Guys like Chase Young (who had neck surgery in March) and Nephi Sewell (who injured his knee in late December) have been in Metairie receiving treatment from team doctors.
That backs up the initial expectation — that Ramczyk is not expected to play this year. This was characterized as a career-threatening injury, and while it’s possible a year away from football could be good for him, it’s likelier that he’s already taken his last snap in a Saints uniform. We’ll just have to wait and see. But this is why the Saints invested so many resources in their offensive line by hiring a new coaching staff, drafting Taliese Fuaga, and cross-training Trevor Penning at right tackle. You have to hope Ramczyk can return some day. It just isn’t something that can be counted on.
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