Saints O-Line Receives Interesting Treatment

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Colin Cummings | Last updated Aug 8, 2026 4:40 PM ET

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It was a special day for the Saints and its fans today. Hall of Fame quarterback, Drew Brees, was officially inducted into the NFL Hall today.

Despite the scorching heat, the fans packed in for a sold out crowd today, and they made their presence known with each cheer for every exciting play.

What caught our attention at the beginning of practice, before we walked into the blazing heat, was the personnel change the Saints had made with their first and second team offensive lines.

Getting Ruiz Reps

The first thing we noticed was that RG Cesar Ruiz had been moved to the second team center position, and the former Titan, Dillon Radunz took his place at the first team right guard position. It was duly noted, but Radunz would go down with an unclear injury during drills shortly after.

However, Ruiz didn't immediately take his spot on the line, as he continued to take second team reps at center. Instead, Colorado guard William Sherman would take the RG position for the rest of practice.

When Moore was asked about the shift in personnel, Moore said that it was all planned. He said that he wanted to get Ruiz reps at center, so that he could be prepared to fill-in for starting center Erik McCoy if he goes down with an injury.

My understanding is that Cesar Ruiz is working at center to prep in case there’s an injury at center and will do so for a few practices. He’s still the right guard.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) August 8, 2026

Although Radunz did go down, Coach Moore felt as though Ruiz's reps at center were still more important. A solid safety net if, knock on wood, McCoy goes down.

The Final Piece

After the acquisition of David Edwards from the Bills early in the offseason, the Saints feel like they're just one lineman away from having an iron wall to protect Tyler Shough . That last piece is where Cesar Ruiz lies.

Last year, Ruiz ranked 57th of 81 guards on Pro Football Focus. Playing all 856 snaps at RG, he allowed 19 pressures, 2 hits on the quarterback, 3 sacks, and he was penalized 4 times. A rough year for sure, but he's been putting in the work to improve this offseason.

He's gone on record saying that he spent a lot of the offseason breaking down his film and training with former Saints right tackle, Terron Armstead. The Saints legend intends to break down not just Ruiz, but second year tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. as well.