The progress has been slow and it has not gone without some bumps in the road, but through the draft and free agency, the New Orleans Saints have assembled an offensive line that should serve as the bedrock of a successful offense.
It is bookended by two tackles taken in the top 15 of back-to-back drafts in Kelvin Banks Jr. on the left and Taliese Fuaga on the right. It is led by Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy, who is hopeful he can put his injury woes from the last two seasons behind him. And it may be taken to the next level by pricey free agent acquisition David Edwards, who boasted an impressive 95% pass-block win rate last season according to ESPN.
For a team that has been searching for an offensive identity for quite some time, a strong offensive line can help right that ship. Just by virtue of their personnel at the point of attack, this Saints team should be able to hold up in both the run and pass game, allowing them to dictate the game to the defense.
That is, of course, only a theory at this point. A lot of things can go wrong, as recent seasons have proven. But, on paper, this is lining up to be the best offensive line the Saints have put on the field since Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk lined up at tackle.
Depth chart (name, height, weight, experience)
LT
Kelvin Banks Jr., 6-foot-5. 315 pounds, 2 years
Asim Richards, 6-4, 307, 4
Alan Herron, 6-3, 308, R
LG
David Edwards, 6-6, 308, 8
Dillon Radunz, 6-6, 301, 6
Easton Kilty, 6-6, 307, 1
OC
Erik McCoy, 6-4, 303, 8
Torricelli Simpkins, 6-5, 312, 2
William Sherman, 6-4, 300, 2
RG
Cesar Ruiz, 6-4, 316, 7
Jeremiah Wright, 6-5, 331, R
Xavier Truss, 6-7, 320, 2
RT
Taliese Fuaga, 6-6, 324, 3
Barry Wesley, 6-7, 310, 2
Alex Wollschlaeger, 6-7, 310, R
Number to know: 742
That is the number of combined offensive snaps McCoy has played the last two seasons — fewer than any one of his first five seasons.
The two injuries that ended McCoy’s last two seasons — an elbow in 2024 and a torn biceps in 2025 — were somewhat freak occurrences. McCoy recently said the action that caused him to tear his biceps last year was something that he’d done countless times before.
It doesn’t change the fact that the Saints need McCoy to stay on the field this season, because there is no question that the offense as a whole functions at a higher level when he is on the field.
The lowdown
The question of how good this Saints offensive line can be this year will likely come down to the development of their young offensive tackles.
New Orleans used the No. 9 overall pick in 2025 on Banks Jr. to be their left tackle of the future. He took over that position from Fuaga, who slid over to the right side after his impressive rookie season as the No. 14 pick in the 2024 draft.
Banks Jr. appears to be a home run pick for the Saints. He played nearly every offensive snap in 2025 and improved as the season went along, cutting his quick pressure rate from over 5% in the first half of the season to less than 2% in the second half.
Fuaga appeared to be on that same track after his rookie season. But after switching to the right side — the side he played at Oregon State — Fuaga’s play fell off a bit in 2025 as he managed injury throughout the season.
If a healthy Fuaga can rediscover his form and Banks takes another step forward, the Saints could have one of the NFL’s best young offensive tackle tandems.
And that is not even including what happened along the interior. Edwards was one of the best available free agents at any position this offseason, and the Saints snapped him up for $61 million over four years to play alongside Banks and McCoy. The veteran has drawn rave reviews for quickly settling into a leadership role for the Saints, and he fills a crucial need for the club: left guard was a bit of a black hole for the team a year ago.
That leaves veteran Cesar Ruiz, the Saints’ 2020 first-rounder. Ruiz is coming off a disappointing 2025 season but has shown at times in his career that he can play at an above average level. He has two years remaining on his contract but no guarantees after this year, and the Saints added a little pressure on Ruiz by selecting Auburn’s Jeremiah Wright in the fourth round.
While Ruiz likely isn’t going to need to share starter’s reps with Wright during training camp, the stakes are relatively high for him to prove he should still be the team’s right guard beyond 2026.
Potential camp battle: Backup center
The Saints were able to navigate McCoy’s injury to a degree last season because they traded for Luke Fortner, who wound up starting the final 10 games and playing well enough to earn a $2.75 million contract from the Carolina Panthers this offseason.
That leaves relatively untested young players Torricelli Simpkins and William Sherman to compete for the primary spot behind McCoy. Both started a pair of games at guard while New Orleans endured a rash of injuries on the interior of their offensive line.
Simpkins is the younger of the two, entering his true second season in the NFL. Sherman was drafted in 2021 but spent several seasons on practice squads before returning to a game day roster last season. This summer, Simpkins took snaps with the second team, though that is hardly an indication of where things will land in September.
One thing to keep in mind: Ruiz is listed as a G/C on the team’s website (as is McCoy) and was primarily a center in college. The Saints didn’t want to shift him inside after McCoy’s injury last season because they felt it would make them worse at two positions, but perhaps that mindset would change if New Orleans feels confident about Wright.