Tag: Cesar Ruiz

Saints injury report: Starting offensive line coming into focus vs. Giants

The New Orleans Saints could have their starting offensive line together for the first time since Week 3 against the New York Giants. More on Thursday’s injury report:

There weren’t many changes for the New Orleans Saints on Thursday’s updated injury report, but the news we did get was mostly positive ahead of Sunday’s game with the New York Giants. The Saints announced that right guard Cesar Ruiz (concussion) returned to practice on a limited basis after sitting out on Wednesday, and he would bring a big boost to an offensive line already dealing with several high-profile injuries.

If Ruiz is able to go along with left guard Lucas Patrick (calf) and center Erik McCoy (groin), each of whom also practiced limited reps, the Saints would have their starting five together again for the first time since Week 3.

Of course it wasn’t all good news. Rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle), still on injured reserve, did not participate in Thursday’s practice after seeing limited snaps to start the week. Whether he’s experienced a setback or was held out of an abundance of caution remains to be seen.

As for the Giants? They added three players to their already-heavy injury report, most notably rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers (groin). His status is worth monitoring in the days ahead. For now, here’s the full Thursday injury report from both teams:

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints welcome back some reinforcements on final injury report vs. Chargers

The Saints welcomed back some reinforcements on the final injury report vs. Chargers. Taysom Hill, Chris Olave, and Pete Werner are good to go:

The New Orleans Saints welcomed back some reinforcements on the final injury report for Week 8’s road game with the Los Angeles Chargers. Tight  end/fullback Taysom Hill (rib), wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion), and  linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring) are good to go, and so are starting offensive linemen Cesar Ruiz (knee) and Lucas Patrick (chest).

All told, of the 14 players on this week’s injury report just two won’t be playing after being preemptively ruled out — backup guard Nick Saldiveri (shoulder) and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (hip). Starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is questionable to return to action, but we knew he was probably another week away already.

It’s the best injury report the Saints have had all season. Let’s see if it makes a difference after this five-game losing skid.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Several key Saints offensive players upgraded on Week 8 injury report

Chris Olave, Taysom Hill, and Cesar Ruiz were among the players upgraded to full practice reps on the new Saints-Chargers injury report:

There’s more good news on Thursday’s New Orleans Saints injury report. Offensive playmakers including wide receiver Chris Olave, tight end/fullback Taysom Hill, and starting right guard Cesar Ruiz were among the players upgraded to full practice reps ahead of Week 8’s game with the Los Angeles Chargers.

That means just a few players continued to miss practice (starting quarterback Derek Carr and left guard Nick Saldiveri were joined  by veteran wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr., dealing with a hip injury) and five more were limited. Six players practiced fully while receiving treatment for their injuries, which at least feels like the most in weeks.

Here’s the full injury report. We’ll get game statuses on Friday, but things are trending up for the black and gold:

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints vs. Chargers may come down to this pivotal stat

With a pair of offensive linemen hopefully returning, the Saints’ ability to open up running lanes should improve. It has to if they’re going to end this losing streak.

One of the biggest flaws of the New Orleans Saints this season has been the struggles in the offensive line.

The Saints are middle of the pack in run blocking this year, currently possessing 16th best run block win rate. Both teams are going to prioritize the run offensively. The Los Angeles Chargers are really good at stopping the run.

Joey Bosa is dealing with an injury, but at best the Saints will still have to deal with Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree. As a team, the Chargers have the 8th best run stop win rate.

Lucas Patrick and Cesar Ruiz may return from injury this week for the Saints. That should help matters. Alvin Kamara started the season on fire, but injuries have made it difficult for Kamara to find running lanes.

Running the football is the identity of this team, and they’ve been unable to do it in recent games. It’s a big reason the offense has stalled out. This week they’re going against one of the best rush defenses in the league.

If trends continue, the Chargers will dominate the trenches which will greatly limit the Saints’ chances of victory.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints Pro Bowl center recovering on schedule after injury

Erik McCoy remains on schedule in his recovery from groin surgery, and the New Orleans Saints may have a target date for his return:

The expectation is New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy will be back from injured reserve no later than Week 13 versus the Los Angeles Rams and possibly earlier, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. This is right on schedule for what was predicted.

The Saints offense entered an immediate spiral when McCoy went down with a groin injury against the Philadelphia Eagles. That game was a disaster for the offensive line, and it never got better. Injuries to Lucas Patrick and Cesar Ruiz only made matters worse.

New Orleans may be targeting a Week 12 return because they have a bye week prior to facing the Rams. It would essentially give McCoy two weeks of time to ramp up for the game.

That would be 10 weeks after the initial injury against the Eagles, but it would be only 8 games missed when factoring in the bye week. McCoy’s initial recovery time was 6 to 8 weeks. The bye week gives him extra cushion, but it would be right on schedule with earlier expectations.

It’s important to note McCoy remaining on schedule is a good sign he hasn’t suffered any setbacks.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints rule out multiple starters again on final injury report vs. Broncos

The Saints ruled out Chris Olave and Cesar Ruiz on the final injury report, but Derek Carr is doubtful to play against the Broncos:

Four New Orleans Saints players were ruled out on the final Week 7 injury report for Thursday night’s game with the Denver Broncos, and two more are questionable to play. Two Broncos players were preemptively ruled out and three of their own are questionable to play.

But before we get to that, this bit is a surprise — quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is doubtful to play, not ruled out altogether. You don’t often see players listed as doubtful suiting up on game days, much less starting at quarterback, but it happens just often enough to make you wary. Fans should still expect rookie QB Spencer Rattler to get the start. Taysom Hill (rib) is also listed as doubtful to play.

Now as for the others? Wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion) won’t play, and neither will several other starters including right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (knee), and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring). Center/left guard Lucas Patrick (chest) and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (back) are both questionable. It’s a new injury for Saunders, so he may not be able to go. Shaheed is having meniscus surgery and may be done for the year, but that’s no sure thing yet.

Here’s the full injury report from Wednesday:

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints announce inactive players for Week 6 game vs. Buccaneers

The Saints announced their inactive players for Week 6’s game with the Buccaneers. Kendre Miller won’t be making his debut just yet:

One subtle change in the New Orleans Saints list of inactive players is the lack of an emergency quarterback due to Spencer Rattler starting.

Going into the Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints ruled five players out before we even got to the weekend. On the final day of practice, New Orleans ruled out Taysom Hill, Cesar Ruiz, Pete Werner, Derek Carr and Will Harris, who went on injured reserve.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed and Willie Gay walked away from Friday’s practice without a game day designation.

This means they’ll be good to go. Kamara and Shaheed are two of the most important players to Klint Kubiak’s system. Gay will be more prevalent with Dennis Allen’s plans because of Werner’s injury

Kendre Miller was also activated off injured reserve, but he won’t play just yet. The Saints kept him and a few others listed as questionable. Miller is still waiting for his chance behind Jamaal Williams, Jordan Mims, and of course Kamara.

Here are the inactive players in Saints Week 6 game versus the Buccaneers:

New Orleans Saints inactive players:

  • G Cesar Ruiz (knee)
  • LB Pete Werner (hamstring)
  • QB Derek Carr (oblique)
  • TE Taysom Hill (rib)
  • RB Kendre Miller (hamstring)
  • OL Lucas Patrick (chest)
  • DT Khristian Boyd

Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactive players:

  • C Graham Barton (hamstring)
  • CB Christian Izien (elbow/groin)
  • WR Trey Palmer (concussion
  • WR Kameron Johnson (ankle)
  • DL Earnest Brown IV (ribs)
  • RB Rachaad White (foot)
  • TE Devin Culp

[lawrence-auto-related count=15]

Back-to-back short weeks won’t help ease Saints’ injury concerns

Injuries continue to pile up for the Saints, and back-to-back short weeks won’t help. They’re playing three games in eleven days:

The New Orleans Saints are currently playing without starters and cornerstones like Taysom Hill, Pete Werner and Cesar Ruiz — not to mention Derek Carr.

This week’s initial injury report featured nine players who did not participate. It was only a projection because it was a walkthrough, but many of them remained sidelined on Thursday’s updated report. It still shows how many injuries the Saints are dealing with.

New Orleans has had the more expansive injury report every week this season, and it continues to grow. Even guys like Rashid Shaheed and Alvin Kamara have been limited at practice.

The Saints played the Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football,” and have to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this upcoming week. They follow it up with a Sean Payton reunion against the Denver Broncos on “Thursday Night Football.” That’s a stretch of three games in eleven days.

This is a bad time for the team to have back-to-back short weeks. The Saints are down offensive linemen and critical pieces on the offense and defense. Oftentimes, teams will be hesitant to bring players back on short weeks.

On the bright side, the Saints will have ten days to rest until the next game after Denver. The hope is that long break will lead to the return of some key players, but they must navigate this gauntlet first.

[lawrence-auto-related count=15]

Saints injury report continues to grow as New Orleans has 9 DNP’s

The Saints injury report remains long. Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill were among 9 non-participants on Wednesday:

The New Orleans Saints list of injuries continues to grow. The team started last week’s practices with six players who didn’t participate. The list grew to nine players before Week 6’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

We should note that the team is dealing with a short week after playing on Monday night so Wednesday’s practice was just a walkthrough, and this injury report is an estimation from the training staff. We’ll have a better idea once they hit the practice field for real work on Thursday.

There are some names that we expected on the list. Derek Carr’s injury didn’t land him on injured reserve, so he of course is on the list. Will Harris left the game with a hamstring, as well.

Rashid Shaheed joined the injury report with a hip injury. He didn’t leave the game, so we’ll have to see how serious this is as the week goes on.

If you’re looking for one piece of good news, Kendre Miller was a full participant. He is in his 21-day window to return from injured reserve and being a full participant is encouraging for his timetable.

Also, Willie Gay was limited due to the hand injury that kept him out of Week 5. That’s an improvement, and he could return to action.

His fellow linebacker, Pete Werner, along with Taysom Hill and Cesar Ruiz remain non-participants in practice.

Image

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints starting third center in three weeks vs. Chiefs

In the last three weeks, the Saints have started Erik McCoy, Shane Lemieux and now Lucas Patrick at center:

Lucas Patrick was the New Orleans Saints’ starting center in Week 5 against t he Kansas City Chiefs. Through the first month of the season, Patrick has started every game at left guard.

This is Patrick’s first time starting at center but not his first time lining up at the position for the Saints. He filled in for Erik McCoy after McCoy injured his groin against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Saints opted to move him back to left guard the next week against the Atlanta Falcons. Shane Lemieux was signed to the active roster from the practice squad to start at center. Unfortunately, Lemieux suffered an injury that landed him next to McCoy on injured reserve.

Because of this injury, the Saints have turned back to Patrick. Nick Saldiveri will replace Patrick at left guard. Saldiveri is making the first start of his career. Landon Young is filling in for Cesar Ruiz for the second week in a row.

The Saints offensive line has been a mixture of shuffling parts on the interior due to injuries. Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning have started every game this season, on the bright side.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]