July 1 brings more than a new month for the Saints - it also means there are 74 days left before New Orleans opens its 2026 regular season on the road against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13.
And on Day 74 of the countdown, the spotlight lands on Xavier Truss, the second-year offensive lineman wearing No. 74.
Truss came to New Orleans midway through last season and now enters training camp with a real chance to carve out a backup tackle role. The Saints also like the versatility he brings, and that could matter as the roster battle unfolds.
A 25-year-old from Warwick, R.I., Truss checks in at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds. He played his college ball at Georgia, where his path started with a redshirt year in 2019 before he worked into game action as a reserve in 2020.
In 2021, he continued in a backup role while seeing time at both tackle and guard. By 2022, he had taken over as Georgia’s starting left guard and helped power the Bulldogs to the national championship.
He kept that job through the next two seasons and earned 2023 2nd Team All-SEC honors.
Truss entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2025 with the Denver Broncos. He impressed in preseason action but still ended up in Denver’s final cuts.
New Orleans moved quickly, signing him to its practice squad less than 48 hours after that release. He spent all but one of the first ten games on the practice squad before being promoted to the active roster for each of the final six games.
While he didn’t get on the field on offense, he logged 30 snaps on special teams.
The Saints already have one of the league’s better young tackle pairs in Banks and Fuaga, which leaves up to two jobs available behind them. Truss’ ability to work at guard as well as tackle gives him a path in that competition, and he’s expected to line up at both spots during training camp and preseason.
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