Offensive lineman Trevor Penning is causing major problems for the New Orleans Saints on an almost daily basis. A learning curve was to be expected, as Penning moved from left tackle to right tackle in the offseason, but early indications are that he is still a major liability on an offensive line that is already dealing with several other issues.
Penning, a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Northern Iowa, was the 19th overall pick and the sixth offensive lineman selected. Despite coming from an FCS school, he was expected to take over the starting left tackle position relatively quickly.
A foot injury sustained in the final preseason game of 2022 sidelined Penning for the first 11 games of his rookie year. Upon his return, he was used as an extra lineman until he made his first career start in the season finale against Carolina.
Penning, who was essentially awarded the left tackle job for 2023, struggled throughout training camp and the preseason. Those problems intensified once the regular season began. Poor play led the coaches to bench Penning after just six games of the 2023 season. Despite subpar performance and injuries across the board, a healthy Penning would play just 13 offensive snaps in the final 11 games of the year.
Penning’s poor play and a knee injury to RT Ryan Ramczyk that will cost him the entire 2024 season forced the Saints to prioritize a tackle early in the draft. They ultimately selected Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga with the 14th pick overall. Although Fuaga was predominantly used as a right tackle in college, New Orleans decided to move him to the left side and use Penning as a right tackle in hopes of salvaging his career.
Trevor Penning’s game has not improved since the position change. In fact, you could argue it’s gotten worse. Penning was beaten repeatedly in training camp. His pass defense was absolutely abysmal in Saturday’s season opener against Arizona.
It’s easy to forget that Penning is extremely inexperienced. Consider that he’s only started six times in his career and played 20 or more snaps in eight games. However, he has shown no development and is even showing signs of regression.
Penning was absolutely helpless against speed rushers, especially on his inside shoulder. His footwork was awful, often forcing him to overstep as a run blocker and negating his power, considered his best attribute, in the run game or against bull rushers as a pass protector.
New Orleans signed T/G Oli Udoh as a free agent. Udoh has played both tackle positions and was a one-year starter at guard for the Vikings, but has been mostly a backup during his five-year career. Seventh-round rookie T Josiah Ezirim played right guard during his college career at Eastern Kentucky, but is largely viewed as a raw project.
Landon Young, a sixth-round pick in 2021, is the team’s only returning tackle besides Penning. Young has made seven career starts and played both tackle positions in his three-year career. However, he is very limited and can be a liability if forced into the lineup. Additionally, both Udoh and Young played poorly against the Cardinals.
Simply put, if Penning falters, there are no viable options on the roster. That would force the Saints to look for free agency options. Here are the currently available tackles who have played right tackle.
• Halapoulivaati Vaitai (Age = 31)
• Donovan Smith (31)
• DJ Humphries (30)
• Cameron Fleming (32)
Better suited as a guard, Vaitai underwent back surgery that kept him out of action for the entire 2022 season before a knee injury limited him to just three starts last year. Smith was primarily a left tackle with Tampa Bay, but also played a fair amount on the right side and was limited in pass defense even in his prime. Humphries began his career as a right tackle before moving to the left side. Fleming is a roving prospect who has made just 62 starts at tackle with four different teams in his 10-year career.
David Bakhtiari, Duane Brown and Charles Leno are far more well-known names still available as free agents. However, they are all past their prime and none of the three has ever played right tackle in the NFL. Signing any of them would mean moving Fuaga back to the right side, a difficult transition for a rookie.
In other words, the free-agent market, as it currently stands, doesn’t offer a viable solution. The Saints could and likely will explore the market after teams trim their rosters to 53 players on August 27. However, doing so would require them to rely on players from other teams and require them to learn New Orleans’ offense on the fly.
That would be a desperate move. On the other hand, Penning’s continued poor play could create just that kind of desperation. The Saints need Trevor Penning to develop into at least a serviceable blocker. Otherwise, it could be a long year in the Big Easy.
