Tag: Cesar Ruiz

Saints claim former Packers guard Chuck Filiaga off the waiver wire

The Saints were awarded former Packers guard Chuck Filiaga after claiming him on the waiver wire, reuniting Cesar Ruiz with one of his old teammates:

Wednesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire reports that the New Orleans Saints were awarded former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga after claiming him on the waiver wire — a move that reunites Cesar Ruiz with one of his old teammates.

Filiaga signed with Green Bay as a rookie free agent after the 2023 NFL draft, having transferred to Minnesota after beginning his college career at Michigan. He played both guard spots in Ann Arbor on either side of Ruiz, the Wolverines’ former center, but Minnesota started him at right guard for 13 games last season. Pro Football Focus credited Filiaga with allowing just 2 sacks on 682 snaps in pass protection while drawing 7 penalty flags on his 1,525 career reps at the college level.

The 25-year-old from Aledo, Texas enters a suddenly-crowded competition in New Orleans, but there are plenty of snaps to go around while starting left guard Andrus Peat continues to recover from a strained quadriceps muscle. Filiaga joins Tommy Kraemer and Koda Martin as recent additions to the depth chart at guard, along with Max Garcia (who is also pushing rookie center Alex Pihlstrom to back up Erik McCoy), Mark Evans II, Lewis Kidd, and Calvin Throckmorton. They’re all competing for one or two roster spots up for grabs behind Peat, Ruiz, and rookie fourth-round draft pick Nick Saldiveri.

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Added competition could lead to change at offensive guard this year

Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz are entering the last year of their contracts. Their short- and long-term future with the Saints will be decided this year | @southexclusives

Offensive guard is a position that enters New Orleans Saints training camp with short-term and long-term intrigue. Your starters from last season, Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz, both return from injuries. They’re each entering the final year of their contract as well. The team placed an emphasis on building depth in this room in the offseason by adding veterans Trai Turner and Max Garcia. Turner suffered a season-ending injury but the intention to improve was there.

The marquee depth piece added was Nick Saldiveri, picked early in the fourth round of this year’s draft. He might not be just a backup, at least not for long. Could he push Peat for the starting job at left guard? Possibly, though he played right tackle in college. If not this year, Saldiveri will likely be in the running next year and beyond for a starting job. Ruiz seems to be more steady in his spot after hitting his stride in 2022. Peat, however, doesn’t have that same level of comfort after injuries and inconsistent play marred his career.

James Hurst is a wild card here. He’s a left tackle who has filled in at both guard spots before. If Trevor Penning can hold down the left tackle spot, there’s a chance Hurst might compete inside. Here are the guards currently rostered after Turner’s injury:

Aidan Hutchinson earns a place in the NFL Top 100 after his rookie season

Hutchinson is already earning respect around the league after just one season

Just one season into the NFL and the Detroit Lions Aidan Hutchinson has already made an impact. While he was expected to be an immediate impact player, I don’t think anyone could predict it would go this well for him in year one.

Drafted as the number two overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hutchinson registered 9.5 sacks while having 9 tackles for loss and 15 QB hits in 17 games. He also became the fifth player and first rookie with three interceptions and nine-plus sacks since individual sacks were officially tracked in 1982, per NFL research.

Every NFL off-season, the NFL has the players in the league vote on who the top-100 players in the league are. For Hutchinson, he was voted as the 88th best player in the NFL from his peers.

As of now, Hutchinson is the only player from the Detroit Lions on the top-100 list. However, there’s only been the players ranked from 100th to 81st overall revealed. Former Lions running back Jamaal Williams was listed as the 95th overall player. We very well could see Hutchinson’s teammates such as Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow and Amon-Ra St. Brown on the list.

During the reveal of Hutchinson as the 88th overall player in the top-100, here’s a few things that were said about him from players around the league:

  • “As the seasons progress, you start to see him get better and better. Both in the pass-rush game and in the run game as well.” – Eagles OT Lane Johnson
  • “Some people have, just, that they were born with it. The natural thing that you’re born with. He’s definitely one of those guys that were born with it.” – Saints IOL Cesar Ruiz
  • “I think he’s definitely proved a lot of people wrong.” – Cowboys LB Micah Parsons
  • “I’ll be the first to admit that he was basically playing in our entire backfield when we played them. He’s that type of player.” – Jets RB Zonovan Knight

You can see the full clip of Hutchinson’s reveal into the NFL Top-100 Players below:

 

Saints report perfect attendance at first training camp practice

The Saints reported perfect attendance at their first training camp practice, with just one player sidelined by an injury:

Now that’s what you like to see: all 90 players under contract with the New Orleans Saints participated at the team’s first training camp practice on Wednesday, as head coach Dennis Allen said would be the case in his opening press conference on Tuesday.

And just one player was sidelined by an injury — undrafted rookie Anthony Johnson. Still on the PUP list, the cornerback out of Virginia was spotted working off to the side while he continues to recover from an undisclosed injury suffered during minicamp practices earlier this year.

But everyone else was able to participate in team drills, including wide receiver Michael Thomas and other players returning from season-ending injuries in 2022, such as right guard Cesar Ruiz and left tackle Trevor Penning (both of whom were limited while recovering from foot surgeries). Rookie sixth-round pick A.T. Perry was also practicing with his teammates which suggests he’ll be formally removed from the NFI list later Wednesday afternoon. Let’s hope this streak of good health continues as intensity ramps up during training camp.

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Veteran OL signings are due to competition, not health-related, says Dennis Allen

The Saints signed multiple linemen, which Dennis Allen says is more about increased quality of competition than the health of Cesar Ruiz and Andrus Peat:

Many fans spent their summer imploring the New Orleans Saints to reinforce the depth chart along the offensive line, and they got their wish on Tuesday: The team announced that veteran guards Trai Turner and Max Garcia would be joining them for training camp.

Turner is a five-time Pro Bowler, while Garcia has logged thousands of snaps in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. They’ll be pushing backups Nick Saldiveri, Calvin Throckmorton, Lewis Kidd and Mark Evans II for snaps in the rotation behind starting guards Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz. That’s a lot of players competing for what may be just two or three spots on the 53-man roster in September, and these heightened stakes are exactly what head coach Dennis Allen sought.

“Again, I mean I sound like a broken record, we’re looking for anything we can add to our football team and make us better,” Allen said with a grin while fielding questions during his pre-training camp press conference, acknowledging that increased competition has been a priority. “We feel like having a lot of competition within the team kind of brings out the best in everybody. Depth, competition, those are all things that we’re looking for.”

When asked whether the recent injury issues for Peat and Ruiz played a part in the search for better interior line depth, Allen responded, “This is not a health-related signing. This is a signing where we felt like there is a veteran player that we can bring in, put into the mix, and then let’s see how the competition plays out.”

Injuries limited Peat to just 11 games last year, and he’s never played a full season in the NFL. After not missing a snap in 2021, Ruiz missed the final three weeks in 2022 after suffering a foot injury that required surgery. Both guards are expected to fully participate in training camp practices, but it doesn’t hurt to have more depth with real pro experience backing them up in case they get banged up again.

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Saints hosting former Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner on free agent visit

ESPN reports the Saints are hosting five-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner on a free agent visit on the eve of training camp, potentially adding depth to the offensive line:

The New Orleans Saints are hosting five-time Pro Bowl right guard Trai Turner for a free agent visit on the eve of training camp, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Turner, 30, is a New Orleans native who rose to prominence in recruiting circles at St. Augustine High School and played college football at LSU.

Turner went on to start 118 games in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers (who drafted him in the third round back in 2014), Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and most recently the Washington Commanders. Last year, Pro Football Focus charting found he allowed just 22 pressures (2 sacks) and was penalized four times on 431 snaps in pass protection. For context, the player he’d be competing with in New Orleans, Calvin Throckmorton, was charged with yielding 18 pressures (3 sacks) and five penalties on 163 fewer reps.

Depth is the most pressing concern for this Saints team. They have the top-end talent to compete with anyone, but the backups and reserves aren’t quite up to par after waves of free agents left the team in recent years without being replaced by quality draft picks.

Adding Turner would do a lot to settle concerns at offensive guard. Andrus Peat has never played a full season and Cesar Ruiz ended his promising 2022 campaign with an injury. Their initial backup, Throckmorton, led the team in false start penalties. You’d think James Hurst would fill in at guard once Trevor Penning is starting at left tackle, but Penning’s own injury issues cloud the picture. Having Turner ready to go into a game if Peat or Ruiz goes down would be nice.

And the Saints can afford him. Turner has earned about $3 million from the Commanders and Steelers on one-year deals in the last few years, which the Saints can easily fit on their books (they’re under the salary cap by more than $13.3 million). If Turner is interested in coming home and the Saints are willing to meet his reasonable contract demands, it’s a team-up that makes too much sense not to happen.

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Updating the New Orleans Saints’ current salary cap situation

Updating the New Orleans Saints’ current salary cap situation before training camp: What should Mickey Loomis and Khai Harley do with $13 million?

We’ve made it: New Orleans Saints rookies reported for training camp this week, and their veteran teammates will join them next week before practice kicks off for the entire team.

The Saints have made plenty of additions this offseason already, but they might not be finished just yet. New Orleans has access to more unspent salary cap space than is typical for them this of the year, even after second-round draft pick Isaiah Foskey signed his rookie deal on Tuesday. What should general manager Mickey Loomis and his right-hand man Khai Harley, the team’s vice president of football administration, do with those resources?

Let’s break it down:

25 most important Saints of 2023: No. 15, Cesar Ruiz

Cesar Ruiz is next on our list of the most important New Orleans Saints players going into training camp. He’s in for a pivotal 2023 campaign | @crissy_froyd

The 2023 NFL offseason is in full swing, and with that, training camps edge ever closer to starting. We have seen a new wave of players enter the team both via the draft and free agency, but there is also a large group of returning players from last season as well. This has led to some debates to be had regarding which players will have the largest impact on the roster for the 2023 season.

Each day we will be counting down the 25 most important Saints for the 2023 season. This will be split up into the following categories:

  • Recap of their 2022 season
  • Projecting their 2023 success
  • What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?

The 19th-ranked player by the Saints Wire staff is right guard Cesar Ruiz:

Mock Draft Monday: Saints projected to pick Boston College guard Christian Mahogany

Mock Draft Monday: New Orleans Saints projected to pick fast-rising Boston College guard Christian Mahogany, a name high on our 2024 watch list

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It’s time for another 2024 mock draft as we continue to build our New Orleans Saints watch list in anticipation of the college football season. The Saints were projected to pick fast-rising Boston College guard Christian Mahogany, a name already high on our 2024 watch list, in this admittedly way-too-early model from ESPN’s Jordan Reid. Here’s Reid’s reasoning:

Interior offensive line is a major question mark for the Saints, with their top three options — Andrus Peat, Cesar Ruiz and Calvin Throckmorton — all scheduled to become free agents following the season. Mahogany was getting early-round buzz before tearing his right ACL heading into the 2022 season, and now that he is healthy, scouts are watching to see if he can follow Chris Lindstrom (2019) and Zion Johnson (2022) as the next Boston College first-round lineman. Mahogany has spent time at both guard spots, and at 6-foot-3, 335 pounds, he is tough to beat.

Few teams invest early-round picks in the trenches like New Orleans. Since Jeff Ireland was hired to oversee their college scouting department in 2015, New Orleans has picked offensive or defensive linemen with 11 of their 19 selections in the first two rounds. As Reid observed, the Saints will be looking for new blood at guard next offseason with all three of their top players at the position headed for free agency.

If Mahogany meets expectations and helps the Boston College line return to form, he could very well end up being their pick next April. But first he needs to prove he’s fully recovered from last year’s knee injury, and that he can play at a high enough level to justify that kind of buzz. So which other positions are on Reid’s radar when it comes to New Orleans?

Beyond the interior offensive line, Reid highlighted wide receiver and the defensive line as positions of need. Some prospects in his mock draft who could fit what the Saints typically look for include Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy (though he’s skinny at just 160 pounds; Rashid Shaheed is the lightest receiver in New Orleans at a listed 181 pounds) and Illinois defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton, a disruptive player who lined up at both end and tackle. We’ll add them both to the list.

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Offensive line is the make-or-break unit for the Saints in 2023

Offensive line is the make-or-break unit for the Saints in 2023. It doesn’t matter how skilled the weapons are if there isn’t time to throw | @southexclusives

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There are quite a few reasons to be excited about the New Orleans Saints offense in 2023. There is a new quarterback in the building, Derek Carr, and his arrival has injected life into the fanbase. Carr has been praised by his teammates repeatedly during offseason activities. Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller join Alvin Kamara in the running back room to form a dangerous trio. The pass-catching threats looked stacked at wide receiver between Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed and improved at tight end with the addition of Foster Moreau.

From a skill position perspective, there are quite a few reasons to be excited about the New Orleans Saints offense in 2023. The offensive line has the potential to ruin that excitement. They are the make-or-break unit on the offense. Let Pro Football Focus tell it, the front five will break the offense. It doesn’t matter how skilled the weapons are if there isn’t time to throw or holes to run through. 

You feel like you trust you’re going to get quality play from Erik McCoy and Ryan Ramcyzk. You’re just looking for them to stay healthy. But you could honestly apply health questions to the whole line. Outside of Ramczyk, who was limited in practice throughout the year, the other projected starters either missed significant time or had a season-ending injury. Even at full strength, this group still has major questions.

There are three pivotal players across the line: Andrus Peat, Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning. Health isn’t a question for Peat; it’s almost assured he’ll miss at least a couple of games each season. He’s also struggled with inconsistent play at times when healthy. Prior to missing the end of the year, Ruiz had the best season of his career. Penning missed the majority of the year with injuries, so he is just as unknown as he was when drafted. 

How those three perform could decide whether this unit makes or breaks the offense. If you can get 2022-quality Ruiz and a relatively-healthy Peat, this unit likely won’t be weak. Trevor Penning’s performance at left tackle will be a deciding factor on whether the unit will be strong instead of just serviceable.

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