Penning knows the playbook and system now. When his foot is healed he should seamlessly be able to step into LT allowing Hurst to slide over to LG. That leaves Landon Young, Calvin Throckmorton, Andrus Peat, Lewis Kidd, Nick Saldiveri, Storm Norton, and Billy Price battling for the three or four back up spots.


If the players are a year older and they are healthy then I can live with that. Our mid round draft pick was the first player chosen when the run on O-linemen started. The fourth round has produced some really good O-linemen in the past.

I hope Trevor Penning makes the hall of fame. I think realistically though when you draft a 325lb 6’7 oline and he plays about 2 games worth of snaps his first year while sustaining a torn ligament in one foot and a lisfranc injury in the other foot, its more likely than not that he will never stay healthy. My impression is that in big guys, foot problems are hard to shake, and this is a big guy who had problems instantly in both feet, under the care of the worst medical team in the history of professional sports. Probably he will have issues in one foot and the Saints doctors will amputate the other one. Anything we get out of Penning is a bonus but if the draft was redrafted today he is a third day pick.

Most of Andrus Peat’s career has been 12 games of average replacement level play. Average would be ok if missing games and causing instability was not his superpower. Getting older won’t help. Peat would be best cut or utilized as a flexible backup so he is not causing musical chairs on the oline.

The Saints could easily find enough first rounds busts to make their entire oline 1st round picks. It would not matter. It does not matter where a player is drafted it matters how good they are today. The Saints Super bowl oline was young and made up of many mid round picks who were durable. Our oline now is made up of 1st rounders many of whom we pencil in based on the sunk cost fallacy. If we had an Andrus Peat then and that made us ignore the Guard position in mid rounds we would not have got a ring. I am glad we took one guard in the mid rounds this year and i hope he beats out Peat. But I think any oline on the roster may beat out Peat as aging takes its toll. The only reason Peat is on an NFL roster at all is to delay the dead cap hit we face when he isn’t. A mediocre player who cannot ever average more than 12 games a season and is past his prime is not worth a roster spot in the NFL.

I can't see Hurst beating out a healthy Peat. Peat came in his rookie year out of shape. That tag has stayed with him his whole career so far even when he's come into camp in great shape ever since. His issue hasn't been quality of play overall, it has been the same as several others the past couple of years ... staying healthy. Some people just like making stupid jokes about him. Others buy into that stupidity, I think. I don't believe the team does.

I hope Trevor Penning makes the hall of fame.

...this is a big guy who had problems instantly in both feet...

...under the care of the worst medical team in the history of professional sports.

Probably he will have issues in one foot and the Saints doctors will amputate the other one.

Popeyes Sammich Peat should never have been resigned on his latest contract. I think that's why he let it be restructured with a pay cut this year.

I do think that Peat will be the starting LG to begin the season but if you remember, most of the Saints fan base was shocked upon learning about his his huge contract in 2020. Not only was he known for missing multiple games each season he was also known as being a below average Guard.

Yes. I do realize that a number of fans were shocked about Peat's re-signing. What that tells us is that the Saints have much more confidence in him as a long term solution than do those fans. Given a choice to trust in the judgement of those two entities I believe I would go with the group that has far more insight into the decision. After spending 30 years in data management I learned to always trust those with inside experience over those looking in from the outside.

Perhaps Saldiveri will end up being that long term solution instead. We'll find out what they decide at some point.

Thats part of why. I am sure there were no other bidders knocking down the door. But also by agreeing to take like $5 million salary to push back $10 million of cap hit, Peat can keep putting the Saints in a similar position year after year. The contracts will always be restructured and it will always be cheaper to keep Peat 1 more year than to eat the dead cap to move on. So its a really good racket. Peat gets to collect $5 million a year forever, well past his playing days, as loan shark level interest on a $20 million loan to the Saints salary cap. Michael Thomas is playing this game too. Kamara will likely collect more years of pay than Frank Gore. Taysom Hill may have to learn placekicking to hold a roster spot in his 40's to help Loomis delay his dead cap hit.