As the 2026 NFL season kicks off in September, one area of the game the New Orleans Saints will be hoping to see improvement is in run blocking.
New Orleans finished last year ranked No. 28 in total rushing yards and No. 31 in rushing yards per attempt. Neither of which are sustainable production numbers for a successful offense.
To help improve this area, the Saints made what will perhaps be one of their most important free agent acquisitions since signing defensive end Chase Young by signing free agent guard David Edwards.
The former Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams starter brings good movement skills, strength and leadership to the unit as it looks to make strides in one of the NFL’s most important elements of the game.
Winning at the line of scrimmage is a must when paving the way for the run. If not on the first effort, then the next. With newly-signed running back Travis Etienne Jr. also signed this offseason, the team now has explosive potential in this area. In order to maximize that, creating clear lanes and getting defensive linemen on their heels will be a must.
Per ESPN’s data tracking, New Orleans finished No. 23 is Pass Rush Win Rate across the league last year.
The metric gives wins and losses to blockers who avoid giving up a positive position to the defender, protecting the pocket and rushing lane and not surrendering a tackle within three yards of the line of scrimmage.
New Orleans struggled in some of these areas, which led to the team gaining only 0.76 yards before contact per carry in 2026, No. 30 in the NFL and only better than the Las Vegas Raiders (0.69) and Cleveland Browns (0.56).
The Bills, for whom Edwards most recently played, ranked No. 3 in the league paving the way for 1.77 yards before contact per carry.
Getting closer to that mark would provide a substantial boost to the ground game for New Orleans in 2026.
