The New Orleans Saints may finally have the kind of offensive line that can set the tone for everything else - but the whole thing hinges on health, growth and a few moving parts holding together.
On paper, the group looks as strong as anything the Saints have rolled out in years. First-round tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga anchor the edges, Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy remains the middle of the operation, and pricey free-agent addition David Edwards brings both experience and a strong track record after posting a 95% pass-block win rate last season, according to ESPN. If that mix clicks, New Orleans has the personnel to be sturdy in both the run game and pass protection.
That’s the promise. The reality, as the Saints know all too well, is that offensive lines are built in theory and tested in pain. Still, this group has a chance to be the best the team has fielded since Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk were lining up at tackle.
The biggest reason for optimism starts with the tackles. Banks, the No. 9 overall pick in 2025, was brought in to be the left tackle of the future, and he delivered a strong rookie season by playing nearly every offensive snap. He got better as the year went on, too, cutting his quick pressure rate from over 5% in the first half of the season to less than 2% in the second half.
Fuaga, the No. 14 pick in 2024, moved to right tackle after his impressive rookie year, returning to the side he played at Oregon State. His 2025 season wasn’t quite as smooth, though, as injury management seemed to affect his play. If Fuaga gets back to form and Banks keeps ascending, the Saints could be looking at one of the league’s best young tackle pairings.
The interior has its own intrigue. Edwards arrived on a four-year, $61 million deal and immediately filled a glaring need at left guard, where the Saints were thin a year ago.
He has also drawn praise for settling into a leadership role quickly. That matters on a line that needs stability as much as talent.
At center, McCoy remains the hinge point. The number to know is 742 - that’s how many combined offensive snaps he has played over the last two seasons, fewer than any of his first five years.
Injuries wiped out chunks of both seasons, first with an elbow issue in 2024 and then a torn biceps in 2025. McCoy said the play that caused the biceps tear was something he had done countless times before.
The Saints don’t need the story; they need the availability. When McCoy is on the field, the offense runs better.
That much is clear.
Right guard is where the pressure may quietly build. Cesar Ruiz, the Saints’ 2020 first-round pick, is coming off a disappointing 2025 season, though he has shown stretches of above-average play in his career.
He has two years left on his deal, but nothing is guaranteed after this season, and the Saints added a little more heat by drafting Auburn’s Jeremiah Wright in the fourth round. Wright probably won’t be pushing for starter reps right away in camp, but Ruiz has real incentive to prove he still belongs as the long-term answer there beyond 2026.
Behind the starters, the Saints have a less certain picture at backup center. They were able to get through McCoy’s injury last season after trading for Luke Fortner, who started the final 10 games and played well enough to land a $2.75 million contract with the Carolina Panthers this offseason. Now the job behind McCoy is up for grabs between Torricelli Simpkins and William Sherman.
Simpkins is the younger option and is entering his true second NFL season. Sherman has been around longer - he was drafted in 2021 - but spent multiple seasons on practice squads before getting back onto a game-day roster last year.
Both players started two games at guard during the Saints’ injury stretch on the interior. Simpkins took second-team snaps this summer, though that doesn’t lock anything in for September.
There’s also one more wrinkle worth watching: Ruiz is listed as a G/C on the team’s website, just like McCoy, and he played mostly center in college. The Saints chose not to move him inside after McCoy got hurt last season because they believed it would weaken them at two spots. That thinking could change if they feel better about Wright.
For now, the Saints have assembled a line with real upside and a clear path to becoming the backbone of the offense. The catch is the same one that shadows every line in the NFL: it only works if the pieces stay in place.
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