Trevor Penning struggled at both tackle spots across his first three seasons with the Saints, so the team’s new coaching staff has moved him inside to compete for the starting left guard job.
Penning played with the first team “all throughout OTAs and minicamp,” according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, giving him a strong chance at to start in Week 1. The Saints will be hoping that he can bring some stability to the position after using five different players at left guard in 2024. Their primary option, Lucas Patrick, started eight games last year, including Week 1, but injuries forced him first to center, and then the sidelines. Patrick signed with the Bengals this offseason, so Penning’s main competition will be 2023 fourth-rounder Nick Saldiveri, who started six games at left guard in 2024. Landon Young saw time at both guard spots last year, so he could be in the mix as well.
The Saints traded up in the first round to draft Penning in 2022, envisioning him as the team’s long-term left tackle after the departure of Terron Armstead. The move was questioned at the time given that Penning largely faced FCS-level competition at the University of Northern Iowa. Multiple foot injuries limited him to one start as a rookie, so those concerns were not substantiated until 2023, when Penning was benched after starting the first five games at left tackle. He flipped to right tackle last offseason amid uncertainty around Ryan Ramczyk‘s knee and ended up starting the entire year with the veteran on the PUP list. He still struggled to protect the quarterback and allowed 54 quarterback pressures, the second-most of any offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Starting the entirety of the previous season would normally position Penning to at least compete for the starting right tackle job this year, but it is expected to be filled by 2024 first-rounder Taliese Fuaga. This is the second straight offseason that Fuaga has bumped Penning out of his spot; last year, he took over at left tackle after primarily playing right tackle at Oregon State.
With Fuaga returning to his natural position, Penning has instead kicked inside to left guard in a contract year after the Saints declined his fifth-year option in May. That is typically a sign that a team plans to move on from a former first-round pick, so a smooth transition to the interior will be crucial for his market in 2026 free agency. Of course, impressing the Saints’ new coaches could keep Penning in New Orleans, but a guard market that continues to explode could price him out of the Big Easy.