The Saints are trying to fix their run game by changing the people in charge of it, and now the real test begins.
New Orleans moved on from run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti on Monday, Nov. 2, with the team sitting at 2-5 and stuck near the bottom of the league on the ground.
The Saints rank 28th in rushing at 86 yards per game, according to the team’s official report. Coach Kellen Moore said offensive line coach Brendan Nugent will handle the weekly run game structure, while running backs coach Joel Thomas will still be involved in situational planning.
That part is official. What comes next is the part that matters.
The Saints have a fresh setup coming out of the bye, but a new title on the staff sheet does not automatically create a better rushing attack. The hope is that a simpler process will make the communication cleaner and the weekly plan easier for players to execute. That only counts if the clarity shows up once the ball is snapped.
Center Erik McCoy did not duck responsibility when asked about the change. He took ownership of the communication issues and the blocking unit’s alignment, and he also acknowledged that a coaching move like this reflects the players’ execution too.
That’s the heart of the problem for New Orleans. A run play is not a solo act.
The offensive line, tight ends and backs all have to read the same picture and react together as the defense shifts. If one assignment gets missed, the whole thing can fall apart before the runner even has a chance.
The Saints will get an immediate chance to show whether anything has changed Sunday, Nov. 8, when they host the Browns at Caesars Superdome. Cleveland comes in at 5-3, so New Orleans won’t have long to ease into this reset.
The standard from here should be consistency, not just a bigger rushing number. A dependable ground game changes everything around it. It keeps the offense out of obvious passing situations and gives the play caller more room to work.
Moore said the staff change was meant to improve workflow, and he told WWL that more adjustments to the weekly process were possible. That leaves the Saints with a pretty straightforward challenge: make the preparation matter on Sundays.
For New Orleans, the next step is simple to say and harder to pull off. A few cleaner runs, a few fewer wasted snaps, and a little more trust in the ground game would go a long way.
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New England has emerged as a possible fit, with the Patriots dealing with injuries and searching for help at guard as they try to keep their offense on schedule and their quarterback protected. For the Saints, the decision is just as much about what comes next as what they might get back, since moving Ruiz would open the door for Jeremiah Wright to be tested in a more prominent role. [Read more 🡒]