Tag: Lucas Patrick

Saints shaking up their offensive line before preseason finale

The Saints are shaking up their offensive line before the preseason finale. Oli Udoh is splitting snaps with Trevor Penning at right tackle:

It’s taken some time, but the New Orleans Saints are shaking up their offensive line before Sunday’s preseason finale with the Tennessee Titans. Olisaemeka Udoh is splitting snaps with Trevor Penning at right tackle, and rookie standout Kyle Hergel is getting looks on the first-team lineup at left guard.

Change needed to happen, but some of this is due to injuries. Nick Saldiveri hasn’t been able to practice since July 29 which opened a hole at left guard. His replacement Lucas Patrick exited Wednesday’s practice with what head coach Dennis Allen described as muscle cramps. At right tackle, Penning’s progress has remained incremental. Udoh was already taking the second-team snaps on that side. After stepping in for Penning during a single series at Tulane’s open practice session, Udoh and Penning split reps evenly on Wednesday. Now it’s a real competition.

It’s business as usual at the other spots. Taliese Fuaga is still shaking off a back issue so Landon Young is filling in for him at left tackle. Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz remain the only starters returning from last year at center and right guard. Hergel’s case is interesting, though. He’s taken almost all of the  second-team reps behind Ruiz at right guard this summer but now he’s earning practice time with the starters at left guard and, occasionally, center on the second team. He’s put himself in great position to make the team and dress out on game days.

Allen has stressed the need to identify the five best linemen to start up front. Could that combination include Udoh and Hergel instead of Penning, Patrick, or Saldiveri? Maybe, maybe not. Time is running out for these late entrants to make their case in those competitions. But so long as Penning is struggling to handle his assignments and Saldiveri is unable to get on the practice field, it’s anyone’s game.

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Lucas Patrick’s versatility is a welcome development at Saints training camp

The Saints always value versatility on the offensive line. Lucas Patrick has done well at both left guard and center early in training camp:

With Erik McCoy taking a rest day during the New Orleans Saints’ Wednesday training camp practice, Lucas Patrick filled in at center and played all of the first-team reps in team drills. This was the second day in a row Patrick stepped in as a starter after left guard Nick Saldiveri was injured during Tuesday’s practice.

Patrick’s floor on the team feels like the backup left guard and backup center — a player who is active on game days and ready to go in at a moment’s notice. This is a great position for Patrick as it immediately establishes a value at multiple positions. The Saints offensive line has been questionable, but having a versatile piece will always be valued when it comes to the final roster. Patrick has done well for himself as a starter in the past.

New Orleans always seems to pick up and keep an offensive lineman that can play multiple positions who pays dividends. Think of a player like James Hurst who was originally a backup who could fill in at multiple positions, who then became a starter. The prototype for this is typically a player who lines up at guard and tackle, but this is where Patrick breaks the mold.

Patrick is also not solidified as a backup. His ceiling is starting at left guard. The longer Saldiveri remains on the shelf the more opportunities Patrick has to make a case as the proper starter at left guard.

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Saints offensive line depth being tested early at training camp

The New Orleans Saints’ offensive line depth is being tested early at training camp, with position battles heating up and injuries hitting the unit:

The New Orleans Saints have been shuffling the offensive line around for most of training camp, with left guard and right tackle primarily being the positions where battles are taking place. At Friday’s practice, according to NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett, “Lucas Patrick spent much of the day as the starting LG, with Nick Saldiveri with the 2s. A competition there.”

Left guard has been a battle between Patrick, Saldiveri, and Shane Lemieux, the latter of whom suffered an ankle injury recently and was held out of Friday’s practice. Right tackle is also seeing some competition, with Trevor Penning running with the starters but Landon Young getting reps in walkthroughs. Olisaemeka Udoh has also been getting reps at right tackle occasionally, and the other competitor Justin Herron has been sidelined with a knee injury as well.

Outside of those two positions, the presumed locks for the remaining spots are Taliese Fuaga at left tackle (pending the need to move back to right tackle if it does not work out), Cesar Ruiz at right guard, and Erik McCoy at center. The backups for those positions, as well as the starters at right tackle and left guard, are essentially up in the air for now as the training camp battles continue to become more and more intriguing. We will see who ends up starting where come the preseason games, but there could be changes on the horizon with how much movement there has been thus far.

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Finding the best starting offensive line is a tall task for Saints

Of all the challenges facing the New Orleans Saints, this NFL Media writer says finding the best starting five in the trenches is the biggest:

There are many challenges the New Orleans Saints are facing heading into this season. Of all of them, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm listed finding the right starting offensive line as the biggest.

Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz are locks at center and right guard, respectively. Taliese Fuaga feels close to that category (we can’t rule out the possibility he has to move back to right tackle), while Nick Saldiveri and Trevor Penning are fighting for their spots in new positions. As of today, those five appear to be in the lead at their respective positions. There are backups fighting for snaps like Landon Young, Olisaemmeka Udoh, and Lucas Patrick, too.

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of offensive line play. There’s a strong argument it’s the engine of any offense. You want your quarterback to have time to throw and your running back, at the worst, to not be swarmed in the backfield before he can make a move. Both of these rely on the unit up front.

In Klint Kubiak’s offense, the offensive line will need to be on point. The wide zone system is based in the offensive line giving the running backs multiple options. Poor performance in the trenches will muddy the picture for those running backs and limit production.

Building trust and familiarity will be important for this unit. The offensive line is the greatest example of a unit in football. They rely on each other every play to do what is expected so there are no exploitable gaps.

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ESPN ranks Erik McCoy among the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen

ESPN’s positional rankings listed Erik McCoy among the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen, and third-best among centers around the league:

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is continuing his series of positional rankings as voted on by dozens of anonymous sources around the NFL — everyone from team executives and general managers to position coaches and regional scouts shared their input on highlighting the game’s best players. And with interior offensive linemen coming up next, it’s time to focus on New Orleans Saints center Erik McCoy.

Fowler lumped guards and centers together for this exercise, and while McCoy was listed as only an honorable mention he was one of X centers to make the list at all. Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Creed Humphrey (No. 7) and Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow (No. 8) were the only centers to make the top-10, and McCoy was slotted ahead of other guys on the list like Lloyd Cushenberry III, Ryan Kelly, Tyler Linderbaum, Ted Karras, and Drew Dalman.

Here’s why Fowler’s sources say McCoy stands apart from the rest:

After five NFL seasons, McCoy owns a 93.7% pass block win rate and a 70.4% run block win rate. “You could make an argument he’s been the best center for a while. He gives us problems. Plays like a guard as far as power and physicality,” a high-ranking NFL personnel man said.

The Saints are certainly banking on McCoy continuing to anchor their offensive interior again in 2024. He’s coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance and figures to play a key role in Klint Kubiak’s new system as the pivot between veteran right guard Cesar Ruiz (who has experienced an up-and-down career thus far) and whoever starts at left guard, whether it’s second-year pro Nick Saldiveri or a journeyman like Shane Lemieux, Lucas Patrick, or Olisaemeka Udoh.

McCoy has been a great player for the Saints ever since they traded up to draft him back in 2019. He has started all 74 games he’s appeared in and suited up for all 17 games last season after missing some time with injuries inn 2021 and 2022. Maybe Kubiak’s emphasis on movement and blocking in space can help him level up even further in 2024. It would be good to see McCoy take his place inside these top-10 rankings this time next year.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Lucas Patrick is the Saints Player of Day 62

Countdown to Kickoff: Lucas Patrick is the Saints Player of Day 62. The veteran has plenty of experience at center and both guard spots:

We’re counting down the days until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 season by highlighting each of the players who wear the corresponding jersey number. And with 62 days left until Week 1, it’s time to discuss the current owner of the No. 62 jersey: Lucas Patrick.

  • Name (Age): Lucas Patrick (30)
  • Position: Offensive center/guard
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 313 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 9.30
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $1,152,500
  • College: Duke
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2016 (Green Bay Packers)
  • NFL experience: 8 years

Patrick has a unique skill set as someone with experience at both guard and center. While he’s spent most of his career snapping the ball himself, the Saints also worked him in at left guard during minicamp. He’s been on the field for more than 3,900 snaps on offense in his career, 1,921 of them at center and 1,372 of them at right guard, with the rest at left guard, per Pro Football Focus charting.

And he would probably be on the roster if the Saints had a game today. But Patrick must outwork some competition if he’s going to hold onto that status over the summer. He’s competing with guys like Shane Lemieux (who was practicing ahead of him at left guard) as well as Olisaemeka Udoh, once he’s healthy. Younger players in the mix include Kyle Hergel, Nouri Nouili, Sincere Haynesworth, and Mark Evans II. Patrick is a good option for depth, but he could earn a larger role with a productive training camp.

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Former Packers OL Lucas Patrick signs with Saints

Former Packers OL Lucas Patrick, who spent the last two seasons with the Bears, is signing with the Saints.

Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Lucas Patrick is staying in the NFC after spending two years with the Chicago Bears. According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN, Patrick is signing a one-year deal to join the New Orleans Saints.

Patrick, an undrafted free agent out of Duke, spent six seasons with the Packers after signing in 2016. He appeared in 73 games and made 54 starts during the regular season and added five more appearances and three starts in the postseason for the Packers.

Tough and smart, Patrick was the starting right guard for the Packers’ prolific 2020 offense, and he also started 11 games at center in 2021, his final year in Green Bay. He was on the field for almost 2,500 total snaps on offense while with the Packers, including over 1,800 between 2020 and 2021.

While with the Bears between 2022 and 2023, Patrick played in 23 games and made 20 starts but did not appear in the postseason. The Bears lost all four games to the Packers over the last two seasons.

Patrick, who turns 31 in July, has experience starting at all three interior offensive line spots, including center. He played all 963 snaps at center for the Bears last season.

The Packers will host the Saints at Lambeau Field during the regular season in 2024. The official schedule is set to be released on Wednesday.

Patrick, who was signed by former Packers general manager Ted Thompson, has played in 94 games with 54 starts during his NFL career.

Saints agree to terms on one-year deal with free agent OL Lucas Patrick

The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms on a one-year deal with free agent offensive lineman Lucas Patrick:

Here’s some improved depth for the New Orleans Saints’ offensive line. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported that the Saints have reached an agreement with free agent lineman Lucas Patrick on a one-year deal. Patrick has spent seven years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and, most recently, the Chicago Bears. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from Duke.

Last year Patrick started 15 games at center for Chicago, where he worked with Andrew Janocko; the current Saints quarterbacks coach held the same role with the Bears. In his career Patrick has logged 1,000-plus snaps at both center and right guard, as well as 628 reps at left guard. So he could push guys like Nick Saldiveri and Shane Lemieux for that vacancy.

There won’t be a corresponding move for the Saints signing Patrick. They filled 89 of 90 roster spots going into rookie minicamp this weekend so they had room for one more. But we should anticipate some roster moves after that minicamp with several dozen players trying out in hopes of landing a spot on that 90-man roster. Stay tuned.

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Bears place center Lucas Patrick on injured reserve

Lucas Patrick’s season is done as the Bears have placed him on IR ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Packers.

The Chicago Bears made a roster move that impacts the offensive line ahead of Sunday’s season finale against the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears have placed center Lucas Patrick on injured reserve, sidelining him for Sunday’s game.

Patrick appeared in 16 games this season, which included 15 starts, where he played primarily at center. He landed on the injury report Friday with a calf injury, and he was dubbed questionable against the Packers.

With Patrick sidelined, Chicago has a few options at center. The most likely replacement is Dan Feeney, who the team acquired ahead of the start of the season in a trade with the Miami Dolphins.

While veteran Cody Whitehair, who’s not in the starting lineup with Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis at guard, has experience at center, he had issues earlier this year in Patrick’s absence. Former fifth-round pick Doug Kramer, who was elevated from the practice squad, is also an option. But he’ll likely serve as a reserve.

Patrick is set to hit the free agent market this offseason, so he very well could’ve already played his final game with the Bears.

Bears C Lucas Patrick now questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Chargers

The Bears center is dealing with a lower back injury that could keep him out of Sunday night’s game.

The Chicago Bears could be without their starting center for their prime-time matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night. The team announced center Lucas Patrick is now questionable for the game with a lower back injury. Patrick was not on any injury report this week, meaning it’s something that popped up within the last day.

Patrick started the season at center but has moved in and out of the lineup in recent weeks. He made his return to the position last week in the Bears’ 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

If Patrick is unable to play, the Bears would have a decision to make. They could move left guard Cody Whitehair back to center, where he struggled with inconsistent snaps the last time he lined up there a few weeks ago. The Bears could also turn to second-year center Doug Kramer, who played in his first NFL game last week after injuries have kept him sidelined for the last year and a half. Or veteran Dan Feeney could be an option if he’s able to play. Feeney, who is dealing with a knee injury, is also listed as questionable.

Patrick’s status will be determined later in the day, but regardless, the news is not ideal for the Bears and rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, who will make his second career start.