Saints' Cesar Ruiz reveals key advantage New Orleans' offense possesses that has stuck around since their Super Bowl win

Who usually knows the NFL better than anyone else on the planet? The players who have donned an NFL uniform and put their body on the line on the gridiron.

The New Orleans Saints watched Jahri Evans do that for a decade in their colors. He's now one of their most important assistant coaches on offense.

In a recent exclusive interview with Cesar Ruiz, the Saints’ starting RG for the last five years, the 26-year old veteran discussed a plethora of topics, headlined by his offseason bike giveaway that landed him a nomination as the NFLPA Community MVP. Ruiz also revealed how important Evans, the assistant offensive line coach for the Saints, has been for his development in the pros.

Jahri Evans' impact on current offensive line is evident

Evans played for the Saints from 2006-2015. The former lineman is a six-time Pro Bowler and won Super Bowl XLIV with New Orleans. Now, he's coaching up the players that stand where he used to for the Saints.

When asked about Evans' role on the staff and how he has helped Ruiz along over the years, the veteran lineman was nothing but complimentary regarding the player who used to be in his shoes. Evans has earned the respect of so many around the organization and the league, even since his playing days.

"It's great because you have, like, you have the older guys in the room. Yeah, you have the veterans in the room. Eric [McCoy]'s seven years - I've been here six years now. Jahri is our vet. He's our vet voice, you know, he's our guy," Ruiz said. "I go to him for a lot of questions, a lot of things. It's nice, because when he tells me, some young guys listen, and everyone is just benefiting from it because he has so much knowledge.

"It's truly a legend at the position," Ruiz continued. "So, it's just great that whenever he says something, you know, everybody listens. It's valuable information. I'm truly, truly blessed. We're very fortunate to have him here, truly, because I don't think anybody else is as fortunate to have somebody like that on their staff."

Other teams around the league employ former players. That's a well-known concept, but not nearly as many won a title with that franchise. Even fewer of them spent nearly their entire NFL career with just that team. Evans is an outlier in some ways — for the best reasons.

For Evans, he played with franchise legends like Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, and many more. He's able to use everything he learned from those players to teach Ruiz and others how to improve on a daily basis.

Saints staff is bringing energy to the team

Ruiz also talked about how the energy injected into the team by the new coaching staff has rejuvenated plenty of players. It's been a positive experience, and Evans has been one of the constants of the recent changes around the coaching staff.

"Jahri has been around coaching me since 2022. I think it's 2022 is when he first started helping out," Ruiz mentioned. "This entire staff, man, it's a great group to be around. They come with a lot of energy."

With a roster in New Orleans that has a lot of veteran presence, accompanied by inexperienced pieces, there has to be a balance in philosophy for coaching. The coaching staff for the Saints has been busy trying to find ways to help all of them bond, and clearly, that has been noticed.

Evans will always be remembered for helping keep Drew Brees upright and helping bring New Orleans their first Super Bowl title. That being said, his legacy with the Saints is far from over.

“Let’s Ride with Cesar Ruiz” was hosted in Ruiz’s hometown of Camden, New Jersey and focused on promoting bike safety, active lifestyles, and stronger community ties.