There’s a new face at New Orleans Saints training camp: Tommy Kraemer, a former guard for the Detroit Lions who played college football at Notre Dame. A college teammate of former Saints backup quarterback Ian Book, Kraemer signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2021 but lost the 2022 season recovering from a back injury. He was part of a group tryout in New Orleans before the Saints kicked off training camp and recently worked out for the New York Giants.
The Saints were at their 90-man roster limit prior to signing Kraemer, so backup right tackle Scott Lashley was waived with an injury designation.
Kraemer played both guard spots for Detroit, though he was primarily a right guard in college (occasionally lining up at right tackle in a pinch). That versatility could give him an edge at Saints camp while competing for a roster spot. It helps his case that Kraemer only allowed 4 sacks on more than 1,200 snaps in pass protection in college. He totaled 2,352 reps at Notre Dame and was penalized just 9 times.
Starting left guard Andrus Peat is currently healing up from a quadriceps muscle strain and a couple of backups have been lost to injuries (Trai Turner and Billy Price), so Kraemer needs to show he can stay healthy and withstand that attrition so he can put in quality reps against guys like Lewis Kidd, Mark Evans II, and Calvin Throckmorton.
