The New Orleans Saints will again be without a member of their 2023 draft class due to a major injury.
This time it's G Nick Saldiveri, who was placed on season-ending IR this week due to a knee injury suffered during Thursday's indoor practice. The Saints filled that roster spot with Shane Lemieux, who started multiple games for the Saints in 2024 and was in for a tryout earlier in the offseason.
The news is disappointing for Saldiveri, who has simply been unable to stay healthy to this point in his career. The Saints traded up for Saldiveri at the top of the 4th round in 2023, but he suffered an injury early in his rookie season and only appeared in four games. He appeared in line to potentially land the starting left guard job out of camp in 2024, but a calf injury early in camp derailed those hopes. He did return to appear in 11 games with six starts as the interior of the OL was ravaged by injuries.
Lemieux was one of the players who stepped in due to injuries, including his first career games at center during that season. He performed well but battled injuries of his own, something that's dogged Lemieux throughout his NFL career after landing with the New York Giants.
The versatility of Lemieux, who is back in No. 66, will make for intriguing position battles for both the backup guard and center spots. Former LSU standout and Metairie native Will Clapp has been holding down the backup center spot, but there have been a fair number of low and inconsistent snaps to this point in camp. Veterans Landon Young and Dillon Radunz as well as second-year pro Kyle Hergel will also be viable options at the backup guard spots.
The Saints have two more practices in Metairie before they ship out to California for a 10-day chunk of camp sandwiching their preseason opener against the L.A. Chargers on Sunday.
