Canal Street Chronicles
The present and future success of the team just got a bit better.
The New Orleans Saints have made massive investments in their offensive line over the years. However, due to a combination of injuries and underwhelming play, another first-round pick needed to be used on a top tackle in the draft. When Kelvin Banks Jr. was selected 9th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, one of the main questions that arose was the future of Trevor Penning.
Before the draft started, it was announced that the Saints would not pick up the 5th year option of Penning. With how his career has gone so far, picking up the option was not shocking, and when Banks was selected, Penning’s future at tackle with the Saints was non-existent. Yes, there was still a chance he could play at tackle for the 2025 season, and either Banks or Taliese Fuaga would move to guard, but that would have been a questionable move. Since the start of minicamp, head coach Kellen Moore has been straightforward about the Saints’ offensive line alignment, which has not changed. Currently, the alignment is: Kelvin Banks at LT, Trevor Penning at LG, Erik McCoy at C, Cesar Ruiz at RG, and Taliese Fuaga at RT. This alignment will mark the third offseason that Penning has moved to another position on the offensive line, but he may have finally found his home at left guard.
Once again, with the Saints selecting Banks in the first round, it was doubtful Penning would be re-signed after this season as the tackle, but guard is another story. Throughout the past two off-seasons, LG has been a massive issue for the Saints, and they never found an answer. Last year, Lucas Patrick was the “band-aid” at LG, and this year it was set to be Dillon Radunz. These two players were fine short-term cheap options, but moving Penning to that position could give the Saints a long-term answer, and he may be the best LG option on the roster. When Penning was coming into the league, one of the main things he struggled with was speed off the edge. On the inside, Penning will not have to worry about that speed and can use his dominant strength to deal with the interior defensive lineman. If Penning can successfully make this move and do well in that position, the Saints will have their guard of the future... but only for one more year.
New Orleans' next challenge is bringing back Trevor Penning after this season. This will hinge on his success at guard, but let’s assume he does. The contract the Saints are going to have to give Penning is much lower because he will no longer be a tackle, but it still won’t be cheap. A clear reference point for what Penning’s contract could look like is what Mekhi Becton got in free agency this past offseason. Becton was the most recent case of a top-drafted offensive tackle successfully moving to guard with...
