Tag: andrus peat

Saints’ offensive line health looking bleak with Aaron Donald up next

The Saints’ offensive line health is looking bleak with Aaron Donald up next. They could be without three of their five starters in Week 11:

Things are going from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints offensive line. They went into their Week 10 game with the Pittsburgh Steelers missing two key starters — center Erik McCoy and left guard Andrus Peat. And then they lost left tackle James Hurst to a concussion in the second half, putting his status in jeopardy for Week 11’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

It means the Saints could hit the field on Sunday without three of their starting five offensive linemen against the Los Angeles Rams defense, anchored by a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Donald. The big-time defensive tackle is a game-wrecker. New Orleans has blocked him well in the past, limiting him to 2 sacks and 8 quarterback hits with 6 tackles for loss in their 4 previous meetings, but that was with significantly better health across the board.

When asked whether he could see one of those three injured starters returning for Week 11’s game, Saints head coach Dennis Allen told Nola.com’s Rod Walker on Monday that, “I don’t know if that’s a possibility right now.”

So that means we should expect Landon Young to start at left tackle, with either Lewis Kidd or Calvin Throckmorton getting the nod at left guard and Josh Andrews filling in again at center. Kidd and Throckmorton rotated in and out of the lineup last week so that could be the move again. It’s possible that rookie left tackle Trevor Penning is activated from injured reserve in time for this game, but he only returned to practice on a limited basis last week and it’s unlikely he’ll be ready to play a full game so soon.

It makes for a dicey situation for whoever starts at quarterback this week, whether Andy Dalton remains the starter or if the Saints pivot to Jameis Winston instead. New Orleans built its offense on the strength of its offensive line through years of careful drafting, developing, and investing through hefty contracts, but the depth they cultivated is about to experience a serious trial by fire. Let’s see if they’re up to the challenge.

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Saints rule out left tackle James Hurst (concussion), down 3 starting OL vs. Steelers

The Saints ruled out left tackle James Hurst (concussion) against the Steelers, meaning three of their five starting offensive linemen are unavailable:

This is bad. The New Orleans Saints ruled out left tackle James Hurst at halftime in their Week 10 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, meaning three of their five starting offensive linemen are unavailable: Hurst entered the NFL concussion protocol, with left guard Andrus Peat (shoulder) and center Erik McCoy (calf) each already inactive with injuries.

That meant Hurst was replaced by second-year backup Landon Young, with guards Lewis Kidd (an undrafted rookie out of Montana State) and Calvin Throckmorton rotating in and out of the lineup at Peat’s spot. Veteran journeyman Josh Andrews was signed from the Saints practice squad to replace McCoy. Only right guard Cesar Ruiz and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk remained from the nominal starting-five.

Rookie left tackle Trevor Penning traveled for the game but he hasn’t yet been activated from injured reserve after undergoing toe surgery, so he’s not eligible to play on Sunday.

It makes for a tough situation against a Steelers defensive line firing on all cylinders. T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward are well-known names, but Alex Highsmith has been having a strong season rushing off the edge. With the Saints run game struggling to get going and Dalton taking sacks and fumbling snaps, even more pressure is put on the Saints defense to compensate. We’ll see if they can overcome all of this adversity.

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Saints give players a rest day after Monday night game, post estimated injury report

The Saints gave players a rest day after their Monday night game to account for a short week, releasing an estimated injury report ahead of their Steelers matchup:

The New Orleans Saints gave players a rest day to account for a short week after their loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, resulting in an estimated injury report ahead of their Week 10 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So we shouldn’t read too deeply into these designations from the training staff considering the team didn’t actually hit the practice field — it’s just their best guess at how active each player may have been. We’ll get a much better idea of participation on Thursday when the team regroups. For now, here’s what we know:

Report: Pro Bowl Saints guard Andrus Peat ‘week-to-week’ with pectoral muscle strain

Report: Pro Bowl Saints guard Andrus Peat ‘week-to-week’ with pectoral muscle strain

That’s not ideal, but it could be worse. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the New Orleans Saints are expected to be without left guard Andrus Peat in Thursday night’s kickoff with the Arizona Cardinals; Peat suffered a pectoral muscle strain in Sunday’s tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals that has his availability “considered week-to-week” moving forwards. Any snaps played without the three-time Pro Bowl alternate are going to be rough, but that’s the reality for New Orleans.

With just a few days to rest up between their games in Week 6 and 7, the Saints are playing it conservatively with Peat and other players managing injuries. And it makes sense given his injury history. Peat tore a pectoral muscle last year that ended his season. Taking a safer approach to this should help avoid any aggravation that worsens his injury. Hopefully he and other injured starters like Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Marshon Lattimore will be ready to return after a longer break between Weeks 7 and 8 (when the Saints return home for a matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders).

In the meantime, look for young backup Calvin Throckmorton to again step into Peat’s spot at left guard. The former Oregon Duck spent most of the 2021 season replacing Peat in the starting lineup, and though he isn’t a blue-chip talent he is a capable stand-in. He just needs to watch out for false start penalties that have been a recurring problem throughout his career.

As for Peat: this latest injury situation has led to some grumbling within the fanbase considering his contract status and past availability issues. Peat never played a full 16-game slate before the NFL expanded the regular season, and if he misses the Cardinals on prime-time as expected he’ll have appeared in just 26 of 41 possible games since 2020, including the playoffs.

Because the Saints restructured Peat’s contract early this year, he’s on the books with an $18.3 million salary cap hit in 2023. Releasing or trading him prior to June 1, 2023 would only save $1.3 million against the cap while leaving behind $16.9 million in dead money, so he’ll be in New Orleans for at least another year. It’s a shame that the conversations surrounding Peat have come to this rather than his impressive moments as a blocker (he was instrumental in setting up several Taysom Hill touchdown runs a week ago), but you can’t ignore the cap commitments going his way when he’s missing so much time with injuries. It’s an unfortunate situation for both the player and the team.

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Saints PFF grades: Worst players through 6 games in 2022

New Orleans Saints PFF grades: Worst players on offense and defense through 6 games in 2022

It’s tough to find positives about a 2-4 start, with a defensive-minded head coach fielding a unit allowing the fourth-most points in the NFL through six weeks. But that’s where the New Orleans Saints are — so what are their specific areas of concern for Dennis Allen’s team?

To help find out, we checked up on the Pro Football Focus player grades on the season so far. These aren’t useful for any in-depth analysis, but they’re sometimes a good summary at a glance. In this case, we’re seeing some of the usual suspects, but several big surprises. Counting players who have seen at least 33% of snaps on either offense (134) or defense (127), here are the lowest grades after Week 6:

Michael Thomas among 3 Saints ruled out vs. Vikings on final injury report

Michael Thomas among 3 Saints players ruled out, Alvin Kamara and Jarvis Landry questionable to play vs. Vikings on final injury report, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

All indications suggest that the New Orleans Saints will be on their way to a change at quarterback this weekend in London. With starter Jameis Winston listed as doubtful to play on Sunday, the Saints are in line to turn to Andy Dalton as their lead signal caller against the Minnesota Vikings. Saints head coach Dennis Allen detailed that not only has the lingering back issue led to this outlook, but so too have residual concerns around Winston’s training camp ankle injury.

With Winston listed as doubtful on Friday, the Saints would have to upgrade him to at least questionable on Saturday in order for him to have a chance to appear in Sunday’s game. But after not practicing all week, that seems both unlikely and unwise. The biggest concern for Dalton, the quarterback likely to take the field, is that he will be without his starting left guard Andrus Peat and star wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Thomas has been known to be an eraser for changes at the quarterback position in the past. New Orleans will have to rely on other options like running back Alvin Kamara, receiver Jarvis Landry (both questionable to play) and rookie Chris Olave to get the offensive production going. The Vikings injury report will update after their Friday afternoon practice session; here’s what we learned from the Saints:

Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas miss third consecutive Saints practice

Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas miss third consecutive Saints practice while managing injuries

The New Orleans Saints gathered for their third and final practice session ahead of Sunday’s kickoff with the Minnesota Vikings, and they did it again without their starting quarterback and No. 1 wide receiver. Jameis Winston (back/ankle) and Michael Thomas (foot) were not spotted at the team’s Friday practice, having also missed the two prior sessions. Left guard Andrus Peat (concussion) and safety Marcus Maye (rib) were also not seen participating after their involvement was limited the day before.

That would be several big absences if they all can’t go on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but resting these injured players may be what’s best for them in the long run. This is the third concussion Peat has been diagnosed with in the NFL, and back injuries can turn into lifelong ailments — a sobering reality for the 28-year old Winston. Maye has already missed one game with this rib issue.

We’ll get a better idea of everyone’s involvement when the Friday injury report is released later this morning, but if they can’t play it would likely mean Andy Dalton starts under center with Marquez Callaway getting more snaps in Thomas’ place, and Calvin Throckmorton filling in for Peat at left guard. Maye would be replaced again by veteran backup P.J. Williams. Injuries are an unfortunately common hurdle around the NFL, but it’s really frustrating to see the Saints’ depth being tested so soon at so many different positions this early in the year.

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Dennis Allen shares injury updates to multiple Saints players after Week 3’s loss

Dennis Allen shared injury updates to multiple Saints players after Week 3’s loss, including four of their top five wide receivers:

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared injury updates to multiple players after Week 3’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, including four of their top five wide receivers, a starting guard, and of course quarterback Jameis Winston. It’s not the worst possible outcome — several of these injuries appear to be minor and should be behind them sooner or later — but it’s close. And the proliferation of injuries on offense is exactly what the Saints can’t afford given their issues on that side of the ball. Here’s what we learned after Sunday’s game:

Saints say LG Andrus Peat won’t return vs. Panthers due to concussion

Saints say LG Andrus Peat won’t return vs. Panthers due to concussion

The New Orleans Saints offense is playing too poorly to take any losses, but they’ll be without left guard Andrus Peat for the rest of the afternoon. He exited Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers late in the first half; the team later announced that he would not return after entering league concussion protocol.

Peat was replaced by third-year backup Calvin Throckmorton, who started most of the 2021 season in that spot after Peat’s year ended with a pectoral muscle injury. The former undrafted rookie out of Oregon has played well enough in the past.

Still, Peat is a big loss up front. He’s become one of the steadier blocks along the Saints offensive line and earned a couple of Pro Bowl nods as an alternate. We’ll see if the Saints offensive line depth is tested further as the afternoon continues.

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Teammates praising Cesar Ruiz at Saints training camp

Teammates like Andrus Peat, who lines up near him, and Kentavius Street, who lines up against him, are praising Cesar Ruiz at Saints training camp:

There aren’t many players with more to prove at New Orleans Saints training camp than Cesar Ruiz, and the other two players in that conversation — Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas — are counting on him to make their jobs easier with improved blocking up front. If Ruiz can’t keep Winston clean, he won’t be able to get the ball to Thomas, and neither of them will be able to help the team. So it’s good to see teammates lauding Ruiz after a few weeks of practices in Metairie.

Ruiz received an unprompted from defensive lineman Kentavius Street on Aug. 2, telling Boot Krewe Media’s Jack Culotta Jr.: “One person that has really stuck out for me is Cesar so far. I really like how athletic he is at the offensive guard position, he forces me to really be on my P’s and Q’s every single day.” Street emphasized that Ruiz’s lateral agility is uncommon to see among guards around the league, requiring opponents to, “Beat his hands and his feet.”

That message was echoed by left guard Andrus Peat on Aug. 3, who commented to Nola.com’s Rod Walker that, “I think he’s made the biggest improvement of anybody,” at this summer’s training camp.

So that’s encouraging to say the least. The Saints made an effort to get more support for Ruiz this offseason, surrounding their 2020 first round pick with a new position coach in Doug Marrone, who is arguably overqualified for the job as a two-time NFL head coach, and bringing in longtime All-Pro right guard Jahri Evans for camp as a coaching intern. Combine them with assistant line coach Zach Strief and Ruiz has a wealth of experience to lean on.

Hopefully it’s paying off as well as teammates are observing in practice. Ruiz has spoken about his emphasis on active hand usage, noting Evans’ stressing the importance of putting force behind a strike, not just placing it well. It’s all aiming to help him put together more consistency and respond more effectively to what opponents throw at him. It’s early, too early to say his issues are all cleaned up, but this is some real optimism to build off of as the Saints prepare for their preseason games. Let’s see if the improved vibes yield positive results.

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