When it comes to Trevor Penning, everyone has their ideas.
But as the New Orleans Saints look to get more production out of their 2022 first-round selection, the plan was teased early in the offseason with a change at OL coach, with John Benton replacing Doug Marrone and a "clean slate" for the young player.
The most visible evidence of that happening: Penning is kicking off his third offseason at right tackle after playing exclusively on the left side in the NFL and coming up as a LT in college at Northern Iowa.
"It’s a totally clean slate," head coach Dennis Allen said, calling back to previous remarks about Penning. "It’s a different position. It’s a different coaching staff. It’s a different scheme. … . We’re starting over here. We’re starting new. I’m excited about it."
In order for that to happen, rookie and No. 14 overall pick Taliese Fuaga has shifted over to the left side after spending a majority of his time playing on the right in college. That move wasn't much of a surprise, given that we saw the Saints getting him work on the left during rookie minicamp. Allen indicated at the time that it wasn't a guarantee of things to come, but he said after the first OTA practice that coaches were encouraged by what they saw.
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There could still be changes down the line.
"I think we want to evaluate it a little bit more," Allen continued. "I wouldn’t say anything is permanent, you know, but I think we like that direction and we’ll see how it goes.”
But why was a clean slate necessary in the first place? Coaches will point to injuries as a major factor, with the former Northern Iowa standout suffering a significant turf toe injury in the preseason finale ahead of his rookie season. He returned in Week 12 and saw limited action, then suffered a Lisfranc injury in the season finale at the end of his first NFL start. Both injuries required surgery and turned a time that should've been full of practice and development into a season of rehab and frustration.
The next season is where the Saints admit they erred in throwing Penning into the mix as the presumptive starter on the left side without much question. He took first-team reps at LT from Day 1 and started there in Week 1. That's when the struggles began for Penning and the OL, with Carr absorbing 11 sacks through the first three weeks, the last of which sent him to the hospital with an AC joint sprain that had a significant impact on the season at large. The Saints lost that game to the Packers after holding a 17-0 lead in the 4th quarter, a result that loomed large with the Saints finishing 9-8 but losing division tiebreaker to the Bucs the wild card tiebreaker to Green Bay. Both teams won their playoff games.
The Saints allowed Penning to play through some early struggles, but he was ultimately benched ahead of Week 7. Allen said at the time that the plan was to allow him to take a step back and learn, with Andrus Peat stepping in on the left side. Veteran James Hurst served as the backup, and Penning hardly saw the field the rest of the way outside of special teams work.
Fast-forward to OTAs and those veteran replacements have been lost to retirement and free agency. Benton is now leading that group and says early returns are good for Penning and the rest of the young, athletic group that includes second-year pro Nick Saldiveri getting first-team reps at left guard.
Benton said that the plan to move Penning across the line was established before Fuaga was even the pick, indicating it'd have happened even if a premium OT option hadn't arrived in the draft.
"We just really felt like Trevor, from his experience and whatnot, needed a fresh start," Benston said, "and ... I’m really of the belief that there’s not that much difference between right and left tackle.”
Saints coaches haven't been definitive on the status of veteran Ryan Ramczyk, who has manned the right side since he was made a first round pick by New Orleans in 2017. Allen indicated they likely won't know much about his status until training camp, though their actions speak loudly in terms of being prepared for him sitting out due to his troublesome knee.
While certainly not optimal, swapping out veterans for young players at both tackle spots and left guard creates what might be the most athletic OL group the Saints have fielded in years. It's fortuitous timing for that, considering new OC Klint Kubiak's scheme will require tackles to get out and move more frequently, particularly on wide zone runs that his offense prioritizes. The two entrenched players of that group in RG Cesar Ruiz and C Erik McCoy have long been known as elite athletes at their positions.
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"If you watch San Fran, if you watch Minnesota when Kubiak was there, those were beautiful offenses and they were very, very offensive-line friendly," McCoy said. "Like, you’re running the ball, you’re getting play actions in and I think those are things we can be very good at. But I don’t want to just talk about it. I say that every year. I want to go out and actually execute it and do it.”
The Saints will be back in action the next two weeks for additional sets of OTAs, then a mandatory minicamp in June and the full training camp that kicks off in late July.