The New Orleans Saints have a lot of the same pieces back on the offensive line this season, but it looked a lot different on Thursday to close out the first set of OTAs.
That's because the team had shifted Taliese Fuaga over to right tackle, slotted in rookie Kelvin Banks Jr. at left tackle, and kicked former first-round pick Trevor Penning to left guard. New head coach Kellen Moore said it's a shuffle that will likely see some different alignments as the team moves forward, but the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert says he expects it to stick.
"I’m gonna make a prediction: What you saw today is Week 1 against the Cardinals," Hebert said after practice. "That’s how we’re gonna line up on the offensive line."
To this point there is still no contact in the trenches, so we'll have to wait until the pads come on in the full camp to get a real idea of where the 4th-year pro is really at in his shift to the position. If he can't hack it, veteran Dillon Radunz is the most likely replacement. The free agent addition was working at left tackle with the 2nd string line.
"I think with Penning, the more confidence he has and you have a tackle on one side, you have a center, it’s not like you’re on an island," Hebert continued. "So I think he can succeed there. I said that 2 years ago."
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The Saints will have two more OTA sessions, followed by a mandatory minicamp and an extended break before the full training camp in late July.
Listen to the full OTA breakdown from the Cajun Cannon on SportsTalk in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.