While the New Orleans Saints will be navigating a new offensive line injury on Sunday in their matchup with the Carolina Panthers, an intriguing shift for the team will be under way.
With starting center Erik McCoy leaving the win early over the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans turned to versatile offensive lineman Will Sherman. However, against the Panthers, right guard Cesar Ruiz, a college center at Michigan, will instead be tasked with holding down the cornerstone position for the team’s offensive line.
Ruiz has not taken live, regular season snaps at the position since 2022 and did so for 378 snaps between 2021 and 2022. Despite the gap since he last played the position, it’s an opportunity that Ruiz feels prepared to execute.
“It’s like riding a bike,” Ruiz said. “I snap here and there like during practice, just for fun. Not in any team reps or anything like that. I got that muscle memory of it, just getting used to making ID points again, trying to make everything as seamless as possible.”
The Saints decided to go with Ruiz at center and allowing rookie fourth-round guard Jeremiah Wright to get his second start of the season. It also frees up Sherman to potentially continue his role as the team’s jumbo tight end and sixth offensive lineman to help in pass protection.
Wright’s first start against the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t go as many envisioned, but he had a strong performance taking the field in relief of Ruiz when he left early with a knee injury in the win.
Ruiz believes that Wright can have another positive performance next to him on Sunday against the Panthers.
“(Wright) is going to be a great player,” he said. “He is coming in and he brings an attitude and he’s learning every day. He got a start versus Pittsburgh. I’m just excited for him to get out there and get those reps, get another start under his belt, and continue to learn.”
The Saints (3-5) are hoping to continue their running game success after gaining 160 rushing yards against the Browns, their second-best rushing performance of the season so far, against the 28th-ranked run defense of Carolina’s on Sunday.
Moving Ruiz back to center and allowing Wright, who has always been touted as an excellent run blocker, could help them achieve that goal.
Meanwhile, McCoy, who was observing practice on Wednesday, focuses on his health and his way back to the football field with a biceps injury that is not expected to sideline him long term.
The Saints’ starting interior offensive line has been outstanding this season, with McCoy, Ruiz and left guard David Edwards only surrendering a single sack so far this season. New Orleans will need to keep that success, and extend the run game’s promising performance from last week, in order to get their second-consecutive win and take sole possession of the top of the NFC South for the next week.
