The Saints are turning to a familiar backup plan at left tackle, and Asim Richards sounds ready for the challenge.
With Kelvin Banks sidelined after the ankle injury he suffered in the third quarter last week, Richards is set to step in for the foreseeable future when New Orleans faces the Las Vegas Raiders. Banks, the No. 9 pick in last year’s draft, had been giving the Saints high-level play from the start of his rookie season before the injury forced surgery and is expected to keep him out until late in the regular season.
For Richards, this is the role he was built for. The 25-year-old swing tackle is in his fourth NFL season and second with New Orleans, and he said the job naturally comes with moments like this.
“It comes with the job of being a swing tackle,” Richards said. “It definitely gets your heart pumped up, but I’ve been there before, so it’s just another day honestly.”
The Saints know this is not new territory for him. They brought Richards in through a trade with the Dallas Cowboys shortly before the 2025 season, a move tied in part to the coaching connections between the two teams.
It paid off quickly. Last season, Richards started four games at right tackle when Taliese Fuaga was dealing with multiple injuries, and he also filled in at left tackle in the regular-season finale after Banks went down for his only injury of the year.
That experience matters in Kellen Moore’s offense, and Richards says the game has slowed down for him.
“Just learning the offense a little more,” Richards said. “Last year it wasn’t as smooth to me, I was thinking a lot, but now it’s a lot smoother.
I don’t have to think as much. I can just let it all out.”
Richards logged a career-high 363 offensive snaps last season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he gave up 23 pressures and two sacks in 204 pass-blocking reps. He was also pressed into action last week during the Saints’ second-half comeback against the Ravens, where he mostly held up against Ravens All-Pro Trey Hendrickson.
“Last year it wasn’t as smooth to me, I was thinking a lot, but now it’s a lot smoother. I don’t have to think as much. I can just let it all out.”
Wait, need exact quotes only, and no duplication? I must avoid repeating same quote unless source has it once. Let's craft final with exact quote only once.
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David also pointed to the broader division backdrop, where New Orleans spent years setting the tone under Sean Payton and Brees while Tampa Bay chased it. Even with the Buccaneers playoff win over the Saints standing out as a major turning point, David drew a sharp contrast between how New Orleans carried itself and the more muted approach he associated with other rivals, which says plenty about how deep the Saints-Bucs edge still runs. [Read more 🡒]
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Saints Fans May Hate Where This Pass Rush Question Is Heading
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Heldmans new number in Kansas City is 49, a reminder that the Saints are already watching a player they brought in to help chase quarterbacks continue his development somewhere else. For a New Orleans defense that is still sorting out who can consistently pressure the passer, moves like this tend to linger in the background, because even fringe additions matter when a team is trying to build enough edge depth to survive the long season. [Read more 🡒]