Saints to send OL Trevor Penning to Chargers

Penning has logged extensive time at three positions along the Saints’ O-line, spending full seasons at both tackle positions before kicking inside to guard this year. New Orleans is moving on from its left guard starter after not picking up his fifth-year option this offseason.

Despite not coming up in trade rumors, Penning loomed as a logical candidate to be moved thanks to his starting experience at premium positions and walk-year status. The Saints did not see Penning become the left tackle mainstay they hoped when they drafted him in 2022, and passing on his 2026 guarantee made him a free agent-to-be. Now, the Chargers will evaluate him. Though, their situation points to Penning still making it to the market come March.

Los Angeles has lost both its starting tackles — Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt — to season-ending injuries. Alt has battled a high ankle sprain for much of the year, and the fast-emerging tackle aggravating it in Week 9 prompted the Chargers to shut him down. The 2024 top-five pick is set for season-ending ankle surgery, creating a glaring void on Justin Herbert‘s blind side. It appears the Saints will ask Penning to shift back to his original NFL position.

The Saints bailed on the Penning-at-LT plan in 2024, drafting Taliese Fuaga and moving the Oregon State product from right tackle to Derek Carr‘s blind side. Penning then slid to right tackle and started 17 games there. After being quickly benched at LT in 2023, the Northern Iowa alum fared better at RT. But the Saints did not view him as a keeper there, either, using their No. 9 overall pick on Kelvin Banks Jr. The Texas product kicked Fuaga to RT and Penning to yet another position. The Saints had him train at left guard this offseason, and he won the job — before temporarily ceding it after a turf toe bout.

L.A. is in decent shape on its interior, despite Mekhi Becton missing time recently. Becton is not on IR, and Zion Johnson is healthy at LG. The team could use immediate help at tackle, and Penning has started 23 tames at those spots in his pro career. The 26-year-old blocker has made six guard starts this season.

Pro Football Focus rates Penning’s guard work 64th at the position; the advanced metrics site graded Penning 60th among tackles during his RT experiment year. Being asked to move around the line certainly is not an easy task, but Penning could have an immediate chance to up his free agency value by providing decent LT work as a stopgap.

The Chargers have primarily been using summer trade pickup Austin Deculus at left tackle when Alt has missed time. He has been one of the Bolts’ blockers to look overmatched this season. PFF has graded Deculus, emergency add Bobby Hart and Trey Pipkins outside the top 65 at tackle this season. This has left the Bolts scrambling, as they have been unable to field a healthy O-line. The team also has ex-Slater LT fill-in Jamaree Salyer, but Jim Harbaugh has opted for Deculus instead. While Penning may not be plugged in immediately, it would surprise if the Division I-FCS product was not seeing tackle work fairly soon given the Chargers’ status as a playoff contender.