Tag: Trevor Penning

Taliese Fuaga’s importance to the Saints offensive line can’t be understated

Taliese Fuaga leaving practice early on Thursday and sitting out Friday sparks a troubling question. Just how important is he to the Saints’ offensive line?

Taliese Fuaga left Thursday’s practice with back tightness and didn’t return to work on Friday, the final training camp session in California. Dennis Allen spoke with the media after Thursday’s practice about the injury. He didn’t have much information to give because it was immediately after practice. Allen did mention he noticed Fuaga was stretching his back prior to practice.

The New Orleans Saints can’t afford for this injury to be something more and last into the season. Though he’s a rookie, he already feels like an invaluable piece of the offensive line. If it is just some minor tightness, it likely won’t last into the season. The simple thought of it, however, has brought his value to the offensive line to the forefront.

Part of Fuaga’s importance is his talent. His performance through the entirety of the offseason produces confidence he can make the transition to left tackle. The other factor to his importance is the other side of the line. Trevor Penning is facing his own challenges with risk of failure at right tackle.

Unless the Saints add a new tackle or something changes drastically and quickly, expecting quality play at right tackle is borderline delusional. No one on that side has had a confidence-inspiring offseason or preseason so far. Penning must turn it up in a hurry.

Fuaga misses time and now you risk subpar play at both tackles. You can’t afford that in the NFL. It becomes increasingly more concerning when you see some of the defensive linemen the Saints have to face early, guys like Jadeveon Clowney, Micah Parsons, and newly-acquired Falcons pass rusher Matthew Judon.

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What should be the Saints’ next move after striking out on Justin Simmons?

What should be the Saints’ next move after striking out on Justin Simmons? The higher priority all along should have been their offensive line:

What should be the New Orleans Saints’ next move after striking out on Justin Simmons? Committing so much time and resources to recruiting a Pro Bowler just to come up short is disappointing, but it isn’t the end of the road. What’s the plan for the salary cap dollars that had been earmarked for Simmons’ offer?

Looking outwards, the higher priority all along should have been the New Orleans offensive line. Trevor Penning has been a big disappointment at right tackle and there aren’t any viable alternatives on the roster behind him. Landon Young can’t cut the mustard. Neither can Jesse Davis. Olisaemeka Udoh doesn’t have much NFL experience there with just three starts at right tackle.

You’ll find a similar problem at left guard. Lucas Patrick has done well relative to the players around him but he’s ultimately closer to a replacement-level starter than someone the Saints can lean on. Nick Saldiveri can’t stay healthy long enough to make a compelling argument for why he should start. Udoh was nearly a disaster in that role during last week’s preseason opener.

So who is available? The Saints waited too long to make a move for veteran players like Mekhi Becton and Dalton Risner, who signed with other teams. At this point the free agent market is made up of players who are either coming off serious injuries, on the wrong side of 30, or who couldn’t hold down starting jobs of their own last year — if not some combination of the three.

But beggars can’t be choosers. At some point the Saints will have to admit the group they’ve assembled isn’t good enough. They could wait to trawl the waiver wire in a few weeks or try to trade for a better blocker, but what are the chances another team’s castaways would be upgrades? We’ll guess it’s unlikely.

The smart thing to do would be to check in on the free agents still available. Guys like D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith, Connor McGovern, and Billy Turner are all out there looking for work. They couldn’t be much worse than the players competing at Saints training camp right now. But there’s only one way to find out.

Alternatively, the Saints could look to continue extending their own talent. They signed Rashid Shaheed and Pete Werner to new contracts this summer, getting a jump on their 2025 free agent class. It’s possible they could  cut a deal with someone like breakout cornerback Paulson Adebo, too. Or they might come to terms on a new agreement with Alvin Kamara. The point is that they have options. At this stage the only mistake they can make is sitting on their hands and accepting mediocrity.

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Saints’ preseason game vs. 49ers will be nationally televised

This week’s New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers preseason game will be nationally televised on FOX. Here’s how to tune in:

The whole nation will be watching when the New Orleans Saints visit the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium this Sunday, Aug. 18. Or at least everyone who’s eager to tune in for the second week of NFL preseason action.

At least they’ll have the opportunity. This matchup will be nationally broadcast on FOX and streamed on fuboTV (try it free). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) with Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez on the call.

Key players on both teams are dealing with a lot of injuries, including former Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom, who sprained his ankle at 49ers practice last week. So it remains to be seen how many snaps the starters will play. The 49ers bowed out of joint practices with the Saints at their training camp in Irvine due to all of their absences so we may see more reps for Derek Carr, Trevor Penning, and the New Orleans starting offense to make up for it.

Spencer Rattler’s late-game heroics were the story in last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, but it’d be great to see the starters make some noise this time. The Saints will return home to New Orleans after this exhibition game and host two open practices at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium and the Caesars Superdome ahead of their preseason finale with the Tennessee Titans on  Sunday, Aug. 25. It’s all leading up to their regular season kickoff with the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Sept. 8.

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Dennis Allen says Trevor Penning abandoned his technique vs. Cardinals

Trevor Penning noticeably struggled in the Saints’ preseason opener. Dennis Allen sees two reasons for his missteps:

Trevor Penning noticeably struggled in the New Orleans Saints’ preseason opener with the Arizona Cardinals. Penning entered the preseason game as a player many had an eye on, having been moved to right tackle after making too many mistakes on the left side to this point in his career. The offensive line as an unit as a unit was under the microscope, so it wasn’t difficult to notice his struggles.

It wasn’t just Penning. The offensive line struggled as a whole, but Penning’s struggles come with a heightened level of concern. Dennis Allen identified two major reasons as to why the third-year player struggled against the Cardinals: inexperience and abandonment of fundamentals.

Penning hasn’t played a lot of football, period, in the NFL. Most of his rookie year was lost to injury and he was benched early in his second season. Now, he’s switching over to a new position. Allen believes this being the first preseason game has something to do with it. The timing allows for some optimism. Penning has time to figure these things out.

But technique has to be cleared up. Allen said that he “saw some things that I hadn’t seen necessarily seen out here at practice from a technique and fundamental standpoint.”

Penning showing improvement in practice is good, but it’s irrelevant if it doesn’t translate to the game. He can’t fail to set his feet and get pushed around by opponents smaller than him. Allen knows this and stressed that he must see the improvement shown under the bright lights.

There have been doubts if Penning will ever make good on his first-round draft status. This year will likely be his last chance to quiet those doubts. He’s entering a make-or-break season while changing positions. The clock is ticking.

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Cardinals preseason game is Trevor Penning’s toughest challenge yet

Saturday night’s Cardinals preseason game is Trevor Penning’s toughest challenge yet. He needs a strong start at right tackle:

You don’t think of the first preseason game as a big hurdle for many players, but Saturday night’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals is the toughest challenge yet for Trevor Penning. He needs a strong start after a rocky first few years — even in this exhibition game.

Penning’s summer has gone reasonably well to this point given his move to a new position, having slid to the right side after almost exclusively playing left tackle. But he’s coming off his worst day of practice at Saints training camp after Chase Young closed team drills by sacking Derek Carr three times in a row, beating Penning each time.

That makes the cautious optimism Dennis Alllen has expressed look a little more questionable in hindsight. It casts doubt on Penning’s own assurances that he’s more comfortable in his new role. If he’s going to rewrite the narrative being spun about his career, it’ll start with a strong performance in Arizona.

Expect him to get a lot of work. Penning was one of seven Saints players to log more than 100 snaps on offense back in 2022 (he ranked fifth on the team with 113 snaps, and he would’ve had more if not for being injured by friendly fire in a collision with Juwan Johnson). He  recorded just 38 snaps during the 2023 preseason, but that’s when he was locked in to start at left tackle. The situation has changed in a big way.

So what if he flounders? The Saints don’t have any great options at replacing him. Olisaemeka Udoh is competing at both right tackle and left guard, but his starting experience has come at mainly at right guard in the NFL. Landon Young is working at both tackle spots and his game tape on the right side isn’t very encouraging. Would the Saints have to move Taliese Fuaga back to right tackle, undoing all of his work this summer on the left side, and put someone else there?

It’s concerning either way. The best outcome is for Penning to gain his footing and play well at right tackle. He’s had some nice moments at training camp. He’s also had some bad days. Let’s see if he can turn things around on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on FOX affiliates in and around Louisiana.

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Saints’ offensive line struggles are extremely concerning

Chase Young has been impressive. The other side of the conversation needs to be addressed. The offensive line has been extremely concerning at Saints training camp:

The New Orleans Saints offensive line was a heavy talking point after Wednesday’s practice session — for all the wrong reasons.

The most difficult part of training camp is deciding if one-sided battles are about the winning side doing well or the losing side doing poorly. After a few days of Chase Young dominating conversation, chatter was bound to flip to “What’s going on with the other side?”

You’ve heard good things about individuals across the New Orleans Saints offensive line, specifically rookie first-round p ick Taliese Fuaga. The unit hasn’t been praised since the pads came on early this week, however. Is that a credit to the defensive line or a criticism of the offensive line? You’ll never truly know until you face another team.

Regardless, seeing the offensive line struggle should concern you until see otherwise. They came into camp looking for three new starters and the takeaways sound like an offensive line looking for three new starters.

Erik McCoy sitting out team drills in the back half of Wednesday’s practice only made matters worse. They don’t have the luxury of staying steady in the trenches without their best blocker yet even if he needs a veteran rest day here or there. The Saints haven’t even been in pads for a work week at this point. Not only are these players new to the starting lineup, they’re young to the league and were expected to need development.

It would be disingenuous to be unfazed about this. There were questions about the offensive line heading into camp and there’s been no reason to erase those questions. Because of those concerns , it’s hard to say the unit is struggling because of the defense. It feels more likely the struggles start from within.

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Trevor Penning trained with Terron Armstead this offseason

Trevor Penning trained with former Saints left tackle Terron Armstead this offseason. He says the five-time Pro Bowler taught him a thing or two:

Trevor Penning is playing with more confidence in Year 3. The New Orleans Saints offensive tackle has seen a lot of adversity since the team drafted him, losing most of his rookie year to injuries before being benched early in his sophomore campaign. Now he’s been asked to move to the right side after spending his career thus far at left tackle.

And he found a great resource to tap into while training in Frisco, Texas at Duke Manyweather’s OL Masterminds program: Terron Armstead, the longtime Saints left tackle who Penning was initially drafted to replace.

“He was kind of a mentor to me, Terron was. Having him kind of (share) his mental processing, the kind of stuff he does, definitely helps,” Penning told local media after Monday’s training camp practice.

Armstead was a home-run draft pick for the Saints back in 2013, starting 116 of the 120 games he’s played in the NFL while being honored at five Pro Bowls. He was recognized on the All-Pro second team in 2018. While he’s since left to continue his career with the Miami Dolphins, Armstead is still playing at a very high level, and it’s great to see him mentoring young pros like Penning.

He’s been there. Just like Penning, Armstead made the jump to the NFL from a smaller program at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He experienced many of the challenges that Penning has dealt with after playing college ball at Northern Iowa. So what has he worked to teach Penning?

“A lot of technique. A lot of technique,” Penning repeated. “A lot of the mental side of it, kind of like a plan, was what he was trying to help me with. Kind of develop a plan before you even get to the line of scrimmage. Kind of ‘What you’re going to do to them to not let the rusher dictate what you’re going to do?’ A more offensive approach, being the guy who sets the tone over what he’s going to do.”

And how has that work paid off? Penning said he felt encouraged when reflecting on his first five days of practice, including the first session in pads, though he’s the first to admit he has more work to do before he’ll be truly satisfied with his progress.

“There’s always work you can do. So far I feel like I’ve been a lot more comfortable, even from years past and even the spring. I think so far I’m doing some good things, obviously there’s still a ton of stuff I can improve on but I’ll take that day by day. Just keep improving every day,” Penning said.”

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‘Real’ football begins as the Saints start padded practices on Monday

The Saints begin padded training camp practices on Monday. The return of ‘real’ football will lead to clearer evaluations in the trenches:

After a ramp up period, the New Orleans Saints will put on pads for the first time this offseason on Monday. Dennis Allen and Khalen Saunders both called this “real” football when speaking with the media after Saturday’s practice session.

Training camp battles such as Pete Werner-vs.-Willie Gay Jr. and the evaluations of young blockers like Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning will now come into a clearer view.

This is a sentiment Allen has spoken about with greater detail before training camp began. When asked about the figuring who will start along the offensive line, Allen told reporters when the pads come on “is where the true evaluation comes in.” He finds value in “being able to evaluate guys in pads, playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

That value extends beyond offensive line. The Werner-Gay battle mentioned earlier is a great example. It’s impossible to get a true evaluation of anyone in the trenches without the physicality that comes with pads coming on.

Everything that has transpired thus far has laid a good foundation, but now, we get all of our questions answered. Real football is here.

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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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