This is far from ideal. One factor in the New Orleans Saints’ decision to let Terron Armstead walk away in free agency was the instability they had experienced at left tackle throughout his career — talented as he was, Armstead’s lengthy injury history was a problem, and they believed moving on would help settle things at that spot (especially given the lofty contract Armstead won with the Miami Dolphins).
But things didn’t go as planned in the preseason. Of the four players to line up at left tackle during their three exhibition games, only Armstead’s former backup James Hurst remains somewhat healthy, and it’s unclear if he’ll be fully recovered from a toe injury in time for the season opener in Atlanta; Hurst hasn’t practiced since leaving a joint session with the Green Bay Packers early back on Aug. 17.
Two of the other three Saints left tackles are down with injuries. Undrafted rookie backup Sage Doxtater was injured in that same practice and initially landed on injured reserve, only to agree to a settlement that made him a free agent. And the heir-apparent, first round draft pick Trevor Penning, was knocked out of the preseason finale with a turf toe injury that may cost him his rookie year. The third member of the group, journeyman reserve Derrick Kelly II, was waived during final roster cuts in a move that looks kind of bizarre in context of all these other losses.
Let’s put it a different way. Hurst, who hasn’t practiced in nearly two weeks, is the only somewhat-available Saints player to line up at left tackle (10 snaps) in the preseason. Penning (113 snaps) may be lost for the season — the team just won’t know until they see how his body is responding to surgery. Doxtater (6 snaps) and Kelly (76) have both already been released. So what’s the plan?
Maybe the Saints are moving Landon Young back to left tackle after training him all summer to back up Ryan Ramczyk on the right side. Young started last year’s game with the Philadelphia Eagles in Armstead’s place and saw more than 2,500 snaps at left tackle in college at Kentucky. But he’s been out of action since Aug. 16 with his own injury, promoting undrafted rookie Lewis Kidd (a former left tackle at Montana State) into the role of Ramczyk’s understudy. Reversing course for Young two weeks before the season starts is hardly ideal, but what’re you gonna do? At least Saints head coach Dennis Allen was optimistic when recently discussing Hurst’s status.
What about Ramczyk? Another former left tackle himself (noticing a trend here?) at Wisconsin, he had significant incentives written into his contract should he earn All-Pro recognition at the left spot rather than his customary right tackle role. So it’s an option, but maybe one that should only be used out of desperation if Hurst isn’t ready to go. One of the enduring problems with Armstead’s absences was that the Saints often had to move multiple starters around to accommodate the hole in their lineup. Moving Ramczyk out of the spot he’s played his best football in the NFL just creates a vulnerability in another area. If they can find a way to plug the hole at left tackle and keep Ramczyk as an anchor at right tackle, that’s the path they should take.
So reinforcing the depth behind Hurst may be the best path forward. If the Saints feel they can trust Kidd to back up Ramczyk, flipping Young back to his natural position makes sense. If they don’t like that notion, adding another body at left tackle is a smart strategy. It’s unclear whether a veteran free agent like Jason Peters or Eric Fisher would be interested in signing to play backup, but it’s worth exploring anyway. The team could also consider trading a late-round pick for a highly-drafted prospect on the outs with their current team like Alex Leatherwood or Isaiah Wynn, or wait and try their luck with the waiver wire. Either way, they have a starter in Hurst. The objective is adding a player they can either rely on to fill in for him and/or develop in Penning’s place.
It’s a difficult knot to untangle. The best left tackles aren’t going to be moved from their teams any time soon, and any options that would move the needle for Saints fans would be too expensive. Again, the goal is to support Hurst as the starter, not to replace him. That was the vision the team had in drafting Penning in the first place, and it remains the best course forward. Let’s see what develops on this front in the days ahead.
