Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
By Ross Jackson
The offensive line of the New Orleans Saints is going to see some considerable change in 2025, and those changes won’t be limited to personnel. The team will also shift away from the wide zone protection schemes used in 2024, a system that may have contributed to the unit’s inconsistency.
The team will see starting lineup changes. Rookie Kelvin Banks Jr. will plug in at left tackle, 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning is expected to move inside at left guard and last year’s left tackle Taliese Fuaga looks to be moving over to the right side while Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz remain at center and right guard respectively.
The unit will also see new (or returning in one case) faces shoring up its depth. New Orleans signed 15-game starting right guard for the Tennessee Titans in 2024 Dillon Radunz, brought veteran versatile interior protector Will Clap Jr. back to the team and also added two undrafted free agent rookies Easton Kilty and Torricelli Simpkins III along with UFL standout Barry Wesley.
But beyond all of the personnel shifts, the Saints will also see the protection calls change in 2025.
Re-signed this offseason to a one-year deal, offensive lineman Landon Young has been a part of each of the previous systems since entering the league in 2021. He laid out a stark difference between this year’s protection and last year’s.
“It’s pretty straightforward,” Young said when asked what makes the new offense so player-friendly. “It’s not exactly like it, but it’s more like what I had my rookie year. More Mike protection. We’re identifying [linebackers] rather than sliding to sides. So, when we would slide last year, we didn’t say ‘Mike this guy.’ It was like, ‘Okay, this side’s sliding,’ and based on our rules, we blocked who showed up.”
Did you find yourself missing the “Mike five-two! Mike five-two!” calls on the broadcast before the snap? It sounds like you won’t have to miss those calls any longer.
9/30/2013: Darren Sproles catches a 48-yard pass from Drew Brees. A few plays later Sproles takes it in from 5 yards! #Saints go on to defeat the #FinsUp 38-17! Brees was 30/39 413 yard 4TDs on the night! Look at Brees set that pass up pre-snap! pic.twitter.com/ubFhwvG20C
— New Orleans Saints History (@SaintsHistory) October 1, 2023
New Orleans seems to be shifting back to protections being sorted out (with some exceptions) pre-snap rather than having players adjust after the snap. The latter is a tricky proposal. It requires all 11 players on offense to see the same thing, remember the same rule and adjust accordingly.
This “return to form,” as it were, should feel a lot more familiar to players and could potentially be more manageable to execute with everyone being on the same page before the snap rather than making pivotal adjustments in the moment.
