There aren’t many players with more to prove at New Orleans Saints training camp than Cesar Ruiz, and the other two players in that conversation — Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas — are counting on him to make their jobs easier with improved blocking up front. If Ruiz can’t keep Winston clean, he won’t be able to get the ball to Thomas, and neither of them will be able to help the team. So it’s good to see teammates lauding Ruiz after a few weeks of practices in Metairie.
Ruiz received an unprompted from defensive lineman Kentavius Street on Aug. 2, telling Boot Krewe Media’s Jack Culotta Jr.: “One person that has really stuck out for me is Cesar so far. I really like how athletic he is at the offensive guard position, he forces me to really be on my P’s and Q’s every single day.” Street emphasized that Ruiz’s lateral agility is uncommon to see among guards around the league, requiring opponents to, “Beat his hands and his feet.”
That message was echoed by left guard Andrus Peat on Aug. 3, who commented to Nola.com’s Rod Walker that, “I think he’s made the biggest improvement of anybody,” at this summer’s training camp.
So that’s encouraging to say the least. The Saints made an effort to get more support for Ruiz this offseason, surrounding their 2020 first round pick with a new position coach in Doug Marrone, who is arguably overqualified for the job as a two-time NFL head coach, and bringing in longtime All-Pro right guard Jahri Evans for camp as a coaching intern. Combine them with assistant line coach Zach Strief and Ruiz has a wealth of experience to lean on.
Hopefully it’s paying off as well as teammates are observing in practice. Ruiz has spoken about his emphasis on active hand usage, noting Evans’ stressing the importance of putting force behind a strike, not just placing it well. It’s all aiming to help him put together more consistency and respond more effectively to what opponents throw at him. It’s early, too early to say his issues are all cleaned up, but this is some real optimism to build off of as the Saints prepare for their preseason games. Let’s see if the improved vibes yield positive results.
