Saints First-Rounder Facing 'Make-Or-Break' Season

We are at a somewhat quiet point in the offseason.

Mandatory minicamp is done for the New Orleans Saints and training camp won't be here until later in the summer. Right now, the front office and roster get some sort of a break before everything ramps up all the way until January.

It's been a long offseason full of transition on the coaching staff, losing Derek Carr, the 2025 National Football League Draft, and trying to put all of the pieces together on the practice field. One move the team has been making is transitioning 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning from right tackle to left guard.

Penning has been a guy who has been talked about a lot. The Saints denied his fifth-year option on his rookie deal and there was even some speculation about the possibility of a trade earlier in the offseason. That hasn't happened and the most likely option is that he's going to play a big role with New Orleans in 2025 in a contract year.

That's why Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman called him New Orleans' biggest "make-or-break" player for the 2025 season.

"New Orleans Saints: OL Trevor Penning," Wasserman said. "Perhaps Penning’s time in New Orleans is nearing a close, as the team declined his fifth-year option this offseason. However, he’ll play for the Saints in 2025 and get a chance to win a starting job at guard, where he has yet to take an NFL snap.

"Improvement in pass protection will be key for a team that finished dead last in PFF pass-blocking grade last season. The same goes for Penning, who allowed 54 pressures last season at right tackle, the second most in the NFL."

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