The final games of the season are often a chance for teams to get a look at young talent. For the New Orleans Saints, that looks like it will be the case for rookie left tackle Trevor Penning in this closing game against the Carolina Panthers. With left guard Andrus Peat ruled out with an ankle injury and right guard Cesar Ruiz on injured reserve, the Saints will be shuffling their offensive line one way or another. They’re also down right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (hip) for this game. So they should take advantage of the opportunity here in Week 18.
During Sunday’s game, James Hurst who typically lines up at left tackle will bounce inside to left guard and Penning, the Saints first-round draft pick, will assume the left tackle role. The Saints advanced a first round pick from the 2023 NFL draft to last year’s cycle in order to draft Penning along with star wide receiver Chris Olave (who is just 18 yards away from a 1,000 yard receiving season). The intent with Penning is for him to become the Saints’ future at left tackle. That journey begins in earnest to close the 2022 NFL season.
And this might be big for Penning. The Panthers are playing without superstar pass rusher Brian Burns, who typically rushes off the right side against opposing left tackles. There’s a steep drop-off at defensive end after him, so this is a good chance for Penning to face off against less-challenging competition. Hopefully he makes the best of it. Here’s the Saints offensive line in warmups against Carolina, from left to right:
- Trevor Penning
- James Hurst
- Erik McCoy
- Josh Andrews
- Landon Young
Penning missed the first 11 games of the Saints season after being moved to injured reserve with a turf toe injury. His snaps have increased each week since taking six against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12. In the last three weeks, Penning’s snaps have clocked in at 20 or more twice. What Penning looks like against the Panthers will only be a small sample size relative to the career that awaits him. But after fantastic years for fellow draft picks Olave and cornerback Alontae Taylor (who is also in line for a start Sunday) a solid performance by Penning further elevates the success of the Saints’ 2022 draft class.
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