Hearing some teams Baltimore Pro Bowl FB Patrick Ricard as a hybrid tight end option in free agency. Ricard lined up everywhere for Ravens, including inline TE. The elite run-blocker is hoping to do more, and a new team might just accommodate him.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 14, 2022
Fullback is not a major need for the New Orleans Saints, but it is an opportunity to get better and add some more dimensions to their struggling offense. And Baltimore Ravens free agent fullback Patrick Ricard could be exactly what the Saints have been looking for out of the position for years. The Saints haven’t been able to find consistency out of that role since the retirement of Zach Line in 2019; Michael Burton did well in 2020, then left for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency. Instability followed in New Orleans.
Just last season, the Saints had three separate fullbacks on the roster at different times. Alex Armah Jr. signed as a free agent on a minimum deal, but was cut in December after nine games with the team. Sutton Smith was a college linebacker that the Saints attempted to convert to fullback, before waiving him in August. And a rookie, Adam Prentice, was claimed off of waivers from the Denver Broncos and finished the season as the Saints starting fullback. Prentice remains the only rostered player at that position for 2022.
Ricard would bring a high level of play and versatility to the position that the Saints have attempted to find in the past. If we look to how they used Prentice at the end of the season, there is an obvious want for a versatile weapon. Prentice lined up in the backfield, moved inline, ran routes from the slot, and even motioned out wide for eight snaps. But we need to see a lot more out of him before naming him the starter.
And Ricard is a very, very different athlete. He has a unique body type for the position as a former defensive lineman, weighing in at 6-foot-3 and over 300 pounds. At that size, however, he does not bring much as a runner (only three career rushing attempts), though he does have 29 catches for 167 yards and five touchdowns so far. This does fit the Saints’ use of fullbacks, as Prentice and Armah only combined for six more rushes than Ricard last season.
So here’s the case for signing Ricard: he can be a bulldozer at fullback and help stabilize a Saints blocking front that could lose some starters this offseason (left tackle Terron Armstead is one of the NFL’s premier pending free agents). He’s shown he can make plays in the passing game when his number is called, and New Orleans isn’t in a position to turn down weapons. Patrick may not be a position-less Kyle Juszczyk-caliber dynamo, but there are many things he could help the Saints improve at. It’s very much worth looking into him.
