Tag: Taliese Fuaga

Saints’ roster gives their next coach a nearly blank slate when crafting the team

The Saints are in need of roster reconstruction, and that gives a new coach like Kellen Moore the opportunity to shape it in his image quickly:

Kellen Moore believes in building around your players, but the New Orleans Saints are set up to build around Moore — or whoever their next head coach ends up being.

Good coaches understand you have to be adaptable with your playbook. It’s a mindset that is expressed when Moore spoke the media Monday night: “You build around your players. There’s different styles we’ve played over the years and that’s the fun part of it.”

When you have Saquon Barkley on your team, you tend to run the football a lot. No one did it more frequently than the Philadelphia Eagles. They led the NFL with 621 rushing attempts this season. No other team had more than 554 (the Baltimore Ravens).

However, outside of Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Erik McCoy and Taliese Fuaga, there aren’t a lot of building blocks for a new coach to work with. The Saints are in need of real roster reconstruction, which should give Moore (or someone like him) more fluidity early in his tenure.

With an innovative coach like Moore leading the charge, he would have the opportunity to bring in the type of players he wants for his system immediately instead of working around what pieces are there. So long as the Saints are patient and trust in his process, anyway.

Year 1 they will have some holdover, but he can start the process of shaping the roster immediately through the draft. Outside of McCoy and Kamara there’s no one who is locked into their role. Fuaga could change sides, and New Orleans may look to bring in another impact receiver or rusher in the draft.

The Saints didn’t do a lot well in 2024. They ran the ball well early in the season, but they still have room to grow and be more balanced. Being pass-heavy may be the only thing off the table.

One point of rigidity is the quarterback room. If their new coach truly doesn’t like the options available to him, he may feel leaning on the run is mandatory.

Moore has the right idea of adapting to his players, and one day he’ll have to do it. Where the Saints are currently, however, would allow him to shape this team in his vision quickly.

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Saints given different rookie tackle in 2024 first round re-draft

The New Orleans Saints got a talented rookie tackle in the 2024 NFL draft, but would they do the same if given another choice?

The New Orleans Saints had some success with their first round pick Taliese Fuaga last season, but would they still go with him if given another chance today?

That’s the hypothetical that Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport looked at in his recent re-do of the 2024 NFL draft. For the Saints, they now decided to go with Olu Fashanu out of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Here is what Davenport had to say about the pick:

Fashanu didn’t play as much as some of the other Round 1 tackles after being drafted 11th overall by the Jets. But in 534 snaps per Pro Football Focus, Fashanu surrendered just a single sack.

Fashanu was originally off the board, but the New York Jets now selected J.J. McCarthy this time around. While Fashanu was certainly a more highly-touted prospect than Fuaga at the time, there is an argument to be made that it would be the other way around right now. Fuaga fell to the No. 18 pick (Cincinnati Bengals) in this do-over.

For someone that didn’t play the position in college, Fuaga did a nice job at left tackle for New Orleans. It wasn’t perfect, but there was plenty to like about his performance. He allowed two or less pressures in 11 games, flashing some real talent at times. It’s not that Fashanu was bad, it’s just that there is no reason for the Saints to be unhappy with their original selection.

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Taliese Fuaga snubbed of an PFWA All-Rookie Team appearance

New Orleans Saints left tackle Taliese Fuaga was snubbed from the PFWA 2024 All-Rookie team in favor of two right tackles:

The Professional Football Writers of America completed their yearly All-Rookie teams and awards recently, and with that, we got to see who they believed were the best first-year players at each position. The New Orleans Saints did not particularly have many candidates as most of their rookies either got less than a full season of playing time or none at all, however, Taliese Fuaga and Kool-Aid McKinstry broke that mold.

Considering McKinstry played in 14 of the 17 games, it is hard to make an argument for him despite having a very solid season. His development was rapid and as he got thrown into the fire, he was able to become one of the more solid pieces from a Saints rookie class we had seen in awhile.

Taliese Fuaga on the other hand did play in all 17 games, starting every single one, and in that time frame played in 1,071 snaps (98%). His season was not perfect, allowing 6 sacks and 39 pressures which is good for a 96.3% blocking efficiency rate. In addition he had 10 penalties spread out pretty evenly across the season.

In comparison to Joe Alt and Roger Rosengarten he was relatively similar statistically, however you also have to factor in the fact that for most of the season, Fuaga played without multiple of the other starters along the line. Erik McCoy missed most of the year, Lucas Patrick missed time mid-season, as did Cesar Ruiz. The only one who didn’t miss time was Trevor Penning, who was on the complete opposite side and could not particularly help the rookie in blocking the left side.

Comparatively, Rosengarten had Ronnie Stanley for the full season across from him as a mentor, Daniel Faalele right next to him at guard all season who had an absolutely outstanding year (1 sack allowed, 33 pressures allowed, 6 penalties), Tyler Linderbaum every game at center who was even better (0 sacks allowed, 19 pressures allowed, 10 penalties) and Patrick Mekari at the opposite guard spot who despite substantial penalties (12) only gave up 1 sack and 32 pressures.

As for Joe Alt? He had Pro Bowl right tackle Rashawn Slater for 15 games and a quality season from center Bradley Bozeman (4 sacks allowed, 30 pressures allowed, 4 penalties). Credit where it is due though, both guards on his team struggled immensely, and he picked up the slack on the right side with Trey Pipkens.

The talent around you as a rookie can make or break your season, as having quality players taking some of the pressure off of you can make learning the game and processing the defense a little bit easier. Fuaga had little to none of that, which is what makes his rookie season so impressive, as much of the time he was out there with the second and third stringers, or even practice squad players at many points.

With that said, here is the full PWFA All-Rookie team selections for each position:

Offense

QB – Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
RB – Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants
WR – Malik Nabers, New York Giants; Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
TE – Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
C – Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers
G – Jackson Powers-Johnson, Las Vegas Raiders; Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers
T – Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers; Roger Rosengarten, Baltimore Ravens

Defense

DL – Jonah Elliss, Denver Broncos; Braden Fiske, Los Angeles Rams; Laiatu Latu, Indianapolis Colts; T’Vondre Sweat, Tennessee Titans
LB – Edgerrin Cooper, Green Bay Packers; Chop Robinson, Miami Dolphins; Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
CB – Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles; Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
S – Calen Bullock, Houston Texans; Evan Williams, Green Bay Packers

Special Teams
PK – Cam Little, Jacksonville Jaguars
P – Ryan Rehkow, Cincinnati Bengals
KR – Jordan Whittington, Los Angeles Rams
PR – Brandon Codrington, Buffalo Bills
ST – Sione Vaki, Detroit Lions

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ESPN named Taliese Fuaga the NFL’s best rookie left tackle

ESPN named Taliese Fuaga the NFL’s best rookie left tackle. He won All-Rookie team honors over several players drafted before him:

Shout to Taliese Fuaga — the New Orleans Saints left tackle was named the best rookie at his position by ESPN. Ben Solak shared his 2024 NFL All-Rookie team, and Fuaga won top honors on the first team.

Its’s even more impressive when you remember that Fuaga didn’t play on the left side in college. He moved from right tackle to left after turning pro and proved to be the team’s best option at that spot. Here’s how his rookie season stacked up against his peers:

2024 stats: 17 starts, 84.0% pass block win rate, 74.1% run block win rate
Drafted: Round 1, No. 14

Sorting out the first- and second-team left tackles was a heartbreaking endeavor. Fuaga, JC Latham (Titans) and Olu Fashanu (Jets) all delivered on or exceeded their draft billing as blindside protectors. Having to rank them is impossible and unfair, and Jets and Titans fans can be justifiably upset with me.

With that said, I found myself most impressed by Fuaga, who I thought would take more rookie lumps transitioning from the right side to the left and pass-setting against NFL pass rushers. Fuaga still has a wart or two in pass protection, but he more than makes up for it with dominant power in the running game and the strength to recover when he loses early in his reps. The future is bright at left tackle in New Orleans.

There was plenty of debate about who the Saints should have picked at No. 14 last spring before they took Fuaga; Latham and Fashanu were popular in mock drafts, too, but ultimately neither of them made it to New Orleans’ pick. It turns out the Saints did well to get Fuaga where they did.

Fuaga was the only rookie to clinch a spot on the All-Rookie team ahead of his peers is tremendous. We’ll see whether he stays at left tackle in 2025 or moves back to the right side (or inside to guard, depending on how the Saints move in this year’s draft) but he’s clearly someone they should have on the field for every offensive snap. This is exactly the kind of pick the team must hit on to rebuild their roster.

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B/R calls Saints the worst job opening this offseason

There are six teams in need of a head coach this offseason. But Bleacher Report argues the New Orleans Saints are the worst landing spot:

There are six vacancies in the 2025 NFL offseason’s coaching carousel, and Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport argues the New Orleans Saints are the worst head coach opening of the bunch.

When looking at the Saints’ roster, Davenport sees “a veteran-laden roster, with defensive stalwarts like edge-rusher Cameron Jordan and linebacker Demario Davis nearing the end of the line.”

Derek Carr leads the charge at quarterback, and has a less than favorable contract. Spencer Rattler still has developmental potential, but the quarterback position doesn’t inspire ultimate confidence.

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed represent the future building blocks. Alvin Kamara still has some left in the tank but is more of a piece for the near future than a player to build around for years to come.

Bryan Bresee, Taliese Fuaga and Erik McCoy give you a few young building blocks in the trenches. If Bresee can build on his 7.5 sacks, you’ll have a consistent pressure player on the interior.

Fuaga and McCoy need a few more pieces around them to build the offensive line back to their former glory.

Even with these pieces, the Saints aren’t working with a lot. That’s why Davenport feels the Saints will “have to play a shell game again just to remain mediocre.”

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Saints offensive line ranks in the bottom half of NFL entering Week 17

The New Orleans Saints offensive line ranks in the bottom half of the NFL entering Week 17. Trevor Penning must bounce back after his worst game in 2024:

The New Orleans Saints offensive line has been through the ringer over the past few seasons, and it has not come out on top.

Pro Football Focus’ Zoltán Buday has released an updated ranking of each offensive line unit in the NFL every week this season and the Saints have consistently ranked in the bottom half of the league. Entering Week 17’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, they are sitting at No. 20. That is a drop of two spots from last week.

“The Saints’ offensive line had a disastrous outing in the team’s loss to the Packers. The unit allowed a league-high 26 pressures on 38 pass plays, leading to a, by far, league-worst 63.2 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating. Right tackle Trevor Penning struggled mightily against Green Bay in Week 16. The former first-round pick allowed 12 pressures and surrendered a pressure at a 30.8 rate. Both were the worst marks in the NFL this week.”

Center Erik McCoy is the only player on the line that has been fantastic this year, but has struggled with injuries that have kept him off the field for a majority of it. Rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga has been about as good as they could ask for from a first-year player in a new position.

Penning has shown flashes of improvement and does win a handful of his matchups, especially in the run game, but hasn’t done enough to be happy about the draft pick yet. Next year will be the close of his rookie contract and he needs to make a big jump.

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Where Saints’ first round pick ranks among peers through 16 weeks

Taliese Fuaga has had an impressive rookie season, but where does he rank among this year’s first-round picks so far?

The New Orleans Saints have not been the same elite drafting team that they once used to be, but their 2024 first round pick is turning out to be a good one near the end of his rookie season.

Pro Football Focus‘ Dalton Wasserman has been keeping track of how every first round pick from the 2024 NFL draft has done this season, and Saints rookie tackle Taliese Fuaga stacks up well against his peers.

Fuaga currently ranks fourth out of 12 rookie tackles this year with a 65.7 PFF grade. Los Angeles Chargers first round pick Joe Alt has lived up to the hype and is by far in the lead of the group with a 78.5 grade. Tennessee Titans tackle Matt Gonclaves and Roger Rosengarten of the Baltimore Ravens are the other two head of the New Orleans rookie.

Here is what Wasserman had to say about Fuaga’s efforts last week against the Green Bay Packers:

“Fuaga earned a career-high 90.0 PFF run-blocking grade against the Packers on Monday Night Football, but it was all for naught in his team’s rough 34-0 loss. He did allow six quarterback pressures, which muddied his final PFF game grade.”

The 22-year-old has allowed 37 pressures in 562 pass blocking snaps this season. He’s been slightly better blocking on the run. It is a solid rookie year given that it is his first season at left tackle, having lined up exclusively on the right side in college. The Saints could either build around him there on the line or switch him back to the right side depending on how the draft plays out.

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PFF: Saints’ former Pro Bowler looked like his old self vs. Commanders

PFF said one of the Saints’ former Pro Bowlers looked like his old self against the Commanders. Erik McCoy’s return has been badly needed:

The New Orleans Saints have two anchors along their offensive line, Taliese Fuaga and Erik McCoy. The veteran and rookie will push the offensive line into the future, and they both had standout performances against the Washington Commanders.

Fuaga has been on a string of stalling pass rushers. This is a return to form for McCoy, however, after coming back from a groin injury.

McCoy was the highest-graded center by Pro Football Focus in Week 15. There’s a large focus on pass rush when thinking about an offensive lineman’s performance. McCoy only allowed one pressure on 36 pass blocking snaps Sunday.

Pressure dropped when Spencer Rattler entered the game. Even when Jake Haener was in the game most of the pressure came from the right side of the line.

McCoy was particularly dominant in the run game. His 91.1 run grade was also the highest grade of all centers from last week’s action. That’s just one pressure allowed and a crushing performance in the run game.

The Saints best offensive lineman is getting back to his old self.

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Bleacher Report suggests the Saints sign new left tackle this offseason

Bleacher Report suggests a current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle as a priority signing for the Saints in the upcoming offseason:

Bleacher Report has completed its article detailing the biggest needs for each NFL team in the remainder of the 2024 season, as well as a potential signing for each team in the upcoming offseason. There are some big-name free agents in this class, however, the Saints will have to work around the cap space once again to get in on any if they want some, and this seems to have been factored in when considering who they should target according to this article.

The recommended player they should pursue according to Bleacher Report is Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. Their opinion on why he should be targeted is the following:

“With Ryan Ramczyk’s future in doubt, it would make a lot of sense to move Taliese Fuaga to right tackle and Trevor Penning to guard next season. Penning was already scheduled to make the position switch this fall until Ramczyk went down and Fuaga was a First-Team All-American on the right edge in college.

However, that would leave New Orleans with a need at left tackle. Moore could be a good option in free agency as he’s been solid this season with just 27 pressures surrendered and a 70.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus heading into this past weekend. Plus, he’s only 26 years old to help the team’s roster get younger.”

Dan Moore Jr. is an intriguing option for the Saints, and to be completely honest, after Trevor Penning’s Week 15 showing, I think some re-arranging could be utilized. While I do not love the idea of Fuaga moving back to right tackle, it was the place where he excelled in college and despite a strong start at left tackle, it could be considered. Moore has had a 96.0 blocking efficiency rating this season, including his amazing Week 1 performance against the Atlanta Falcons surrendering no pressures, sacks, or giving up penalties on 69 offensive snaps.

The biggest issue for Moore has been allowing sacks, giving up a total of eight so far this season, along with five penalties to his name. In 921 snaps total, this means he is giving up a sack every 115 snaps or so, which is not perfect, but also something you could definitely work with. If the Saints were able to shift things around, Moore could be a good option for the short term to see how Fuaga and Penning work out at new positions, but maybe not the best option when it comes down to it.

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Darren Rizzi highlights battle in the trenches for Saints vs. Giants

Darren Rizzi knows stopping Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns is imperative. Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning must rise to the occasion:

A lot of pressure rests on the New Orleans Saints’ young offensive tackles as they take on the New York Giants’ duo of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the edges.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi understands the importance of Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning protecting Derek Carr in Week 14. Rizzi told the media earlier this week, “We got to do a great job of protecting the edge this week. That’s going to be a big part of what we do.”

Rizzi continued: “They have two playmakers on the edges between Burns and Thibodeaux. We’ve known Burns in this division for a long, long time. He’s wrecked a lot of games for people. They just got Thib back on the other side. Those guys are a problem.”

For Fuaga, this continues a stretch of facing formidable pass rushers. He’s stood up to Myles Garrett, Jared Verse and now this duo in consecutive weeks, with a bye week in that span. Penning struggled against the Rams as Verse racked up a multitude of pressures. The offensive tackle is looking to bounce back.

As for the offensive interior? The Saints are hoping to get several starters back from injury, including Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick, but that’s where the Giants may be weakest up front. A potentially season-ending injury to Dexter Lawrence puts the focus concretely on New York’s edge defenders. Fuaga and Penning must be on point this Sunday.

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