The Saints are making a familiar move at center, and this time it’s Cesar Ruiz stepping into the spot Erik McCoy leaves behind.
McCoy is dealing with a biceps injury, and coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday that Ruiz will start at center Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. It’s a notable shift from what New Orleans did in real time over the weekend, when William Sherman replaced McCoy during the Saints’ 23-22 win over the Cleveland Browns.
This isn’t the first time the Saints have kicked around the idea. During training camp, they used Ruiz at center for two practices rather than at right guard, just to see how he would handle a return to his college position if McCoy were unavailable. They had other backups available, but the staff wanted a closer look at Ruiz there.
Now they’re going with it in the regular season.
Last year, the Saints handled McCoy’s absence differently. They turned to Luke Fortner at center and kept Ruiz at right guard, with Moore explaining at the time that they didn’t want to shake up two spots on the offensive line and mess with the group’s chemistry. Fortner is no longer an option for New Orleans, though - he’s with the Panthers now.
“Cesar’s a really good center,” Moore said. “He’s done a nice job at right guard, and we feel like this will be a good rotation for us.”
Ruiz hasn’t taken an in-game snap at center since Dec. 5, 2022. With him moving inside, rookie Jeremiah Wright is set to get another start at right guard after filling in there two weeks ago when Ruiz was injured.
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