Cesar Ruiz spent Saturday back where he began as a college standout, but this wasn’t a simple return to old territory. The Saints lined him up at center to open practice, and they kept him there with the second unit for the entire session, even after Dillon Radunz went down with a knee injury before team drills.
Instead of sliding Ruiz back into the first-team spot or asking him to juggle both roles, New Orleans turned to William Sherman with the starters. That move made the day stand out, especially because Ruiz has built his NFL identity at right guard, where he has been a full-time starter and where he landed the four-year, $44 million deal he signed in 2023.
Coach Kellen Moore said the decision was about getting Ruiz more “exposure” at center after he didn’t cross-train there last year. Moore said Ruiz will keep working there Sunday before moving back to guard ahead of next week’s joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Obviously we know his history,” Moore said. “Last year, we probably didn’t get him as much work in center during camp. So if something comes up, that’s a bigger transition when he hasn’t done a whole lot there.”
Moore also said the shift was not meant as a message about Ruiz’s play at guard. That said, the context is hard to miss.
Ruiz is coming off a season that fell short of the standard he and the Saints expect, and general manager Mickey Loomis had already said the team needed “more” from him. Ruiz answered that publicly in the offseason with “challenge accepted.”
The Saints have practical reasons for this, too. Backup center has become a real concern after Luke Fortner, last year’s No. 2, left for the Carolina Panthers in free agency. New Orleans has already tried Torricielli Simpkins, Joshua Kilty and Sherman at center with the second and third groups, and Ruiz remains part of that mix.
That emphasis makes sense given the Saints’ recent history at the position. Erik McCoy has dealt with back-to-back season-ending injuries over the last two years, and the Saints had to use three different centers in 2024 after McCoy’s injury. In the season before that, they only had to go to Fortner.
Moore said Ruiz stayed with the backups in part because the Saints wanted to manage his workload and let him lock in on the center work for a couple of days.
“We're still just conscious of reps,” Moore said. “I think also, you know, let him just focus on center.
Obviously it's a transition. Just let him focus on center for a couple days, get reacclimated to that position.
“Again, I think it's really good work for him, and then we'll transition back over to guard here shortly.”
The injury list kept growing around him. Running back Kendre Miller (back), running back Devin Neal (hamstring), defensive line Christen Miller (toe), linebacker Chris Rumph (ankle) and guard Jeremiah Wright (shoulder) all missed practice. Cornerback Rejzohn Wright was also absent.
Alvin Kamara, Cam Jordan and Zach Wood were away in Canton, Ohio, for Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame induction. Radunz and safety Julian Blackmon both left practice early with knee injuries, according to Moore.
While the line shuffle drew attention, Tyler Shough quietly put together one of his sharper days of camp. He went 8-for-9 in team drills, with the only incompletion coming on a throw to Chris Olave that Kool-Aid McKinstry appeared to defend well.
Shough’s strongest connection continues to be with first-round receiver Jordyn Tyson. The rookie caught three passes from the quarterback, including a short curl that looked like it could have gone the distance if the whistle hadn’t blown. Their chemistry has come a long way from the start of camp, when two early mistakes - one pass that hit Tyson’s shoulder and another that was intercepted - left Tyson taking the blame for both.
Shough’s top throw of the day came on a 17-yard strike to Olave between three defenders. The timing was crisp, and the play fit the kind of middle-of-the-field throw that has helped make him so intriguing. On the play-action pass, Shough got the ball to Olave just before Justin Reid tried to make a play and ended up falling after a mistimed jump.
Elsewhere, Jordan Howden stepped in for Blackmon at safety during team work, which allowed Jonas Sanker to keep working as the Saints’ inside cornerback. The coaching staff also showed up in “No. 9” shirts and hats for Brees’ enshrinement.
With Wood in Ohio, defensive tackle John Ridgeway handled emergency long-snapping duties. Tanner Brown finished 4-of-6, missing from 45 and 54 yards, and Moore said the kicking battle between Charlie Smyth and Brown is “super close,” with the competition expected to run all the way through camp.
The Saints also kept rotating linebackers, with Jaylan Ford taking several first-team snaps in place of Pete Werner. Earlier practices had featured Stutsman rotating with Werner.
And the roster churn continued. New Orleans signed linebacker Deion Jones, defensive lineman Brien Taylor and edge rusher Malakai Williams, while waiving defensive lineman Zxavian Harris.
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