There’s that mindset popping off again in the New Orleans Saints offensive line’s post-practice film review.
“We ran like a little sweep play, and all I see is Trevor (Penning) driving a guy into the dirt,” said rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks.
Listening to players talk, it seems like these sorts of plays are a regular occurrence for Penning, who switched positions to left guard this season. A very large man with a very physical mentality meshing those two attributes, resulting in other large men being driven into the turf against their will. That mentality is real, and it is not common.
“Every play, he’s literally trying to put people in the ground,” said fellow lineman Will Clapp. “You’d like to have that mindset every play as an offensive lineman, but a lot of guys don’t. This dude truly wants to physically destroy people.”
That combination of brute force and aggressiveness didn’t always work at offensive tackle, a position that somewhat neutralized Penning’s nature and asked him to play more passively. The Saints tried him first at left tackle, benched him, then tried him out at right tackle. The results were better on the right side, but some of the old issues persisted.
Drive off the ball and bury someone? Penning could do that. Take a pass set in naked space against some of the NFL’s premier athletes? That experiment ran its course for a player who is more brawler than technician.
“I honestly thought he was one of the five best run-blocking right tackles in the entire league, if not top three in the NFL last year,” said offensive line analyst Brandon Thorn. “Like after Penei Sewell, Lane Johnson, just pure run game. I thought he was awesome last year. But the disparity between that and pass pro is very stark, and it’s a problem.
“At tackle, he really struggled with positional leverage. Also his pad level, his hands, syncing his hands and feet together when he was in pass protection, having to set out to a spot and deal with a lot of space. It always looked a little off for him, and he never quite turned the corner. And it always resulted in just a very erratic player.”
By moving him inside to guard, the Saints hope to benefit from the best of Penning while minimizing the worst.
“It’s definitely a natural spot for him,” said Cesar Ruiz, the starting right guard. “Trevor is a very gifted human being physically. His frame and his mentality is built for guard. It’s just, ‘I’m going to smash you, I’m going to dump you in the ground, I’m going to bully you.’ That’s Trevor’s M.O. At guard, there’s no better place to do it.”
After first-time head coach Kellen Moore assembled his staff this offseason, the group assessed the roster and made a decision about Penning. The 2022 first-rounder was coming off his best season by far, but he was still a work in progress at tackle.
They saw traits that could play better on the inside and broached the topic with Penning, who was all for the position switch.
“It’s more up my alley,” Penning said. “Stuff that I do well. Just getting up on guys, mauling people.”
Offensive line coach Brendan Nugent described it this way: Penning is now playing with “bumpers” on each side of him in the left tackle and the center. Instead of being asked to play in space, they’re narrowing his focus to a smaller area, where they hope his truly special traits play up.
“He’s got really strong hands, so we’re focusing on that with him,” Nugent said. “Man, if you can get your footwork right and get your hands on them, you’re going to win a lot more than you’re going to lose because you’re so strong up top.
“He likes to be in a phone booth, he likes to get his hands on people, and that’s how he wins. So let’s eliminate some of that space, let’s give him bumpers and let’s let him do what he’s good at.”
The transition hasn’t been seamless. Everything happens faster when the space is condensed, and Penning is still hammering out the technical aspects of his new position. Asked what he needs to improve, Penning said his hands and feet need to be quicker because the interior defensive linemen get on you in a hurry.
But the signs are there. Nugent sees someone who gets a little better every time he puts the pads on — he sees a quick game starting to slow down for Penning.
And it shouldn’t go without saying that Nugent also sees a confident player. That had been an underlying current for Penning’s first few years. As he struggled on the field, as he was benched in his second season, even as he was finding his way at right tackle, Penning’s belief appeared to take a hit.
When Moore and his staff arrived, they emphasized a clean slate for the players in the locker room. The old regime and their thinking was gone, and everyone would have a chance to make a first impression.
The version of Penning that Nugent has gotten to know this season is one who is more self-assured, which is exactly what Nugent wants to see in his players.
“The big thing we talked about is there’s this mindset of if I take a pass set, I’m going to set to win; I’m not going to set not to lose,” Nugent said. “Or if I come off the ball, I’m not going to go, ‘I just don’t wanna lose.’ He’s had the mindset of 'I’m going to win.' He’s embraced that. I think that’s helped with his confidence.”
This is a make-or-break year for Penning in New Orleans. The Saints declined his fifth-year option this offseason — a decision that was almost certainly informed by his position switch, because Penning would’ve been paid like a tackle had they picked it up. But that means he is set to be a free agent in 2026.
If the change doesn’t hit the way the Saints believe it can, the team can move on from Penning next offseason without penalty.
But if the change truly does get the most out of him?
“Worst case you’re going to have an asset in the run game,” Thorn said. “And if his pass game gets to a functional level, then you’ve saved his career — not just saved his career, but you actually gave him a ceiling to where he can become a really good guard potentially.”