The Saints’ bye week has arrived with a decision staring right at Mickey Loomis, and it’s the kind of move that says a lot about where this season is headed. New Orleans has shown flashes with its offensive pieces, but the results have been too uneven to ignore, and that makes the trade deadline a natural inflection point. The cleanest path forward, according to the situation unfolding in the first seven weeks, is to turn veteran right guard Cesar Ruiz into draft capital.
That idea becomes even more persuasive when you look at how the season has gone. The Saints opened with a gutsy road win over the Baltimore Ravens, then watched that good feeling disappear in an 0-3 start at Caesars Superdome.
A road win over the New York Giants briefly steadied things, but the international loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers laid bare how many issues are still waiting under the hood. With Travis Etienne Jr. on injured reserve, the run game has cratered to 3.5 yards per carry, and QB Tyler Shough has been left dealing with constant pressure.
That’s the reality New Orleans is living in now: must-win territory just to stay in the conversation.
Ruiz is the most logical trade chip in that environment. He’s a veteran interior lineman with pass protection that could help a contender chasing the postseason, and teams like the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Houston Texans could be interested in bolstering the middle of their offensive line. On paper, it’s easy to see why he would draw attention.
There’s also the less glamorous side of the equation, which matters just as much. Ruiz’s injury concerns and future financial commitments make him a tricky long-term hold for a team still building around Shough and Chris Olave. Keeping every established contract around simply because it feels safe would be the wrong kind of loyalty.
If another team is ready to pay meaningful draft compensation, the Saints should listen.
A Ruiz deal would do more than pad the draft board. It would open the door for Jeremiah Wright, who showed encouraging physicality during training camp and preseason work.
His downhill run-blocking stood out, and that kind of edge could be useful for offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Wright would still need to prove he can handle the day-to-day grind of being a starter, but the final 10 games would give New Orleans a real chance to find out.
That evaluation window matters even more with Etienne out and the running game needing more pop at the point of attack. A more forceful interior presence could help create better lanes and give the offense a little more life on the ground.
For the Saints, the appeal is straightforward: flexibility, development, and draft value all in one move. Loomis should be aiming for a conditional fourth-round or fifth-round pick if he can find a trade partner.
That kind of return would give New Orleans more ammunition as it keeps reshaping the roster around Shough, Olave, and the rest of its young offensive core. Every extra pick matters when a team is trying to patch holes and build something sturdier.
The Saints still have work to do, and plenty of it. But the next step doesn’t have to be muddy.
Trading Ruiz would create space, clarity, and another asset for the future. This is where sentiment has to give way to direction.
If Loomis wants a real path toward sustainable contention, the bye week is the time to act. Trading Cesar Ruiz would be a tough call - and the right one.
In Other News...
Saints Defense Is Forcing A Brutal Brandon Staley Conversation
A year after looking like one of the more reliable units in the league, the Saints defense has taken a sharp step backward in 2026, and the drop-off is hard to ignore. New Orleans returned most of its starters and avoided major injury trouble, yet the group has slipped near the bottom of the NFL in both points and yards allowed, a stunning turn for a defense that was supposed to be a strength again.
The biggest concern is that the problems are showing up in different places at once. The defensive line has not held up the way it did a season ago, even with Chase Young and Carl Granderson doing their part off the edge, while the linebackers have been exposed in coverage with opposing quarterbacks finding too much success when they are the nearest defenders. For a staff that was expected to build on last years foundation, the film is starting to raise an uncomfortable Brandon Staley conversation that New Orleans cannot avoid much longer. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Offense May Finally Be Getting The Receiving Help It Needs
The Saints have leaned hard on Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele for much of the season, and the lack of consistent production behind them has left the passing game thin in spots. Help may be getting closer, though, with Jordyn Tyson nearing the end of his recovery from the hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since August, and his presence in pre-game warm-ups suggests the team is finally moving toward a healthier receiver room.
Tysons return would matter because the Saints have been searching for another dependable option who can take some of the load off the top two targets and give the offense a more balanced look. If he can get back into the mix, he has a chance to settle in as a meaningful piece of the rotation and give New Orleans a receiving boost it has been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Draft Outlook Suddenly Hinges On One Big Coaching Question
The Saints are heading toward the draft with a familiar set of needs and a familiar amount of uncertainty, and the conversation around their first-round direction is already being shaped by the people in the building as much as the players on the board. Offensive line help and defensive front help both make sense, with Greg Johnson and Xavier Gilliam emerging as names to watch as New Orleans weighs where it needs the biggest immediate upgrade.
What makes this spot so tricky is that the Saints recent track record with drafting defensive linemen has not exactly inspired confidence, which puts extra weight on how the current coaching staff views development. If the staff change brings a different approach to teaching and usage, it could alter how the team evaluates its options up front and whether it leans toward a safer fit or a higher-upside swing. [Read more 🡒]