The New Orleans Saints offensive line was arguably the position filled with the most uncertainty this offseason. Some clarity has been gained after minicamp and organized team activities, but there will be three battles fought along that unit in training camp.
Nick Saldiveri seems to be in the lead to start at left guard and complete the interior unit along with Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz, the only returning starters. New Orleans traded up to draft Saldiveri in the first pick of Day 3 of the 2023 draft. A year later, Andrus Peat and James Hurst are out of the picture leaving the starting left guard position vacant.
Walking out of minicamp, Saldiveri appeared to be first in line to fill that vacancy. In the second open OTA practice, he took all the first team reps. That continued until he exited with a hamstring or groin injury during minicamp that isn’t expected to sideline him through the summer. This points to him being in the lead in the battle.
Saldiveri will have to firmly clinch the starting role once pads are put on and preseason starts. He’s battling with Shane Lemieux, who he was originally splitting first team reps with. Oli Udoh will join the competition upon his return from an injury, and Lucas Patrick completes the group. The left guard position has a lot of contenders, and Nick Saldiveri stands at the top heading into training camp.
