Cesar Ruiz - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Activate Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau

October 4th, 2025 at 3:29pm CST by Connor Byrne

Saints quarterback/tight end Taysom Hill and tight end Foster Moreau will make their 2025 debuts against the Giants on Sunday. The team announced that it has activated Hill and Moreau from the reserve/PUP list.

In corresponding moves, the Saints placed wide receiver Trey Palmer on injured reserve, waived tight end Moliki Matavao, and called up linebacker Eku Leota from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation.

Hill suffered a season-ending ACL tear last December, limiting him to a career-low eight games in 2024 and shelving him for the first four contests this season. The ninth-year man returned to practice this week alongside Moreau, who’s also coming back from a late-2024 knee injury. Moreau hauled in 32 passes for 413 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games last year. In addition to the torn ACL, Hill informed Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football he tore all four ligaments in the posterolateral corner of his knee.

Without Hill and Moreau around, tight end Juwan Johnson has gotten almost 94 percent of offensive snaps early in the season. He leads the 0-4 Saints in receiving yards (204) and trails only No. 1 WR Chris Olave in catches (22).

In 2023, his most recent healthy season, Hill recorded personal bests in receptions (33), targets (40) and yards (291) over 16 games. Hill was featured more prominently in the running game, as he piled up 81 carries for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He was on an even better pace as a runner in 2024 (39 attempts, 278 yards, six TDs) before his season ended prematurely.

Known for his versatility, Hill is expected to function as the Saints’ backup quarterback behind Spencer Rattler on Sunday, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com reports. That will relegate rookie Tyler Shough, a second-round pick, to the No. 3 role. The 35-year-old Hill has completed 193 of 302 passes for 2,369 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in the NFL.

Meanwhile, guard Cesar Ruiz – one of Rattler’s key protectors – has avoided the IR and is recovering well from the high ankle sprain he suffered in last week’s loss to the Bills, according to Triplett’s colleague Nick Underhill. Ruiz won’t play on Sunday, but it appears he’ll miss fewer than four games.

Saints’ Cesar Ruiz Suffers High Ankle Sprain

September 30th, 2025 at 1:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Saints are 0-4 and in a transition phase this season, they still roster a host of starters beyond their rookie contracts. Six such vets are on the offensive side of the ball, including eight-figure-per-year cogs Erik McCoy, Juwan Johnson and Cesar Ruiz. The sixth-year guard will be shuttled out of New Orleans’ lineup for the foreseeable future.

Ruiz sustained a high ankle sprain against the Bills in Week 4, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who indicates a four- to six-week timetable may be the return range here. This would stand to make Ruiz an IR candidate. Scans will determine Ruiz’s timetable, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football, who initially reported the former first-round pick would be expected to miss game action.

The Saints have used Ruiz as a starter throughout his career; he is currently part of a line that features four first-round picks and McCoy (a 2019 second-rounder) as starters. Ruiz, McCoy and Alvin Kamara are the only starters remaining from the Saints’ most recent playoff team — the 2020 edition — and the right guard is signed to a four-year, $44MM extension. That deal runs through the 2027 season.

Despite being in Year 6, Ruiz is still just 26. He has made 73 career starts, though he did miss eight games from 2022-24. Knee and ankle trouble limited Ruiz to 13 games last season, and he missed three contests in 2022. That said, Ruiz has never played fewer than 13 games in a season, managing to avoid serious injuries.

With the Saints not a playoff contender, it should be expected they will be cautious with a player who likely factors into their post-2025 plans. Ruiz has started slowly this season, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 73rd among guards. Because of a recent restructure on Ruiz’s contract, cutting him in 2026 would bring a $16.85MM dead money bill.

The Saints used both their allotted summer IR-return slots, dropping their activation count from eight to six. Ruiz would stand to reduce that number to five if he goes on IR, as this is not a season-ending injury. The Saints also have backup Dillon Radunz battling a turf toe malady. A former Titans guard signed this offseason, Radunz started at left guard in place of Trevor Penning in the season’s first two games. Penning is now back in the lineup. Rookie UDFA Torricelli Simpkins replace Ruiz after he was carted off the field during the Saints’ loss to the Bills.

Saints Rework S Tyrann Mathieu’s Deal, Complete Host Of Restructures

March 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joining his hometown team in 2022, Tyrann Mathieu will play a fourth season with the team. He has agreed to reworked contract, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill reports. The veteran safety will be tied to a one-year, $7.2MM deal that includes incentives, Underhill adds.

The Saints are reducing Mathieu’s 2025 base salary from $6.25MM to $3.5MM, Underhill indicates. Incentives could allow the 13th-year veteran to make money back. If Mathieu plays at least 50% of the Saints’ defensive snaps next season, he will see that base climb to $4MM. Escalators between $4.5MM and $7.25MM are in place as well, Underhill adds. If Mathieu hits a 90% snap share in 2025, he would make more than he would have previously. This move will lower Mathieu’s $11.3MM 2025 cap number.

Mathieu, 32, stands to have a good chance to make money back. He has played at least 86% of the Saints’ defensive snaps in each of his three seasons with the club. He played 100% of them in 2022 and 99% in ’23. The former All-Pro’s contract is still on track to void after the 2025 season.

Mathieu’s agreement follows another batch of Saints restructures, which are commonplace as the team continues its brand of cap manipulation. New Orleans has also adjusted the deals of Cesar Ruiz, Carl Granderson and Khalen Saunders, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald, who adds the trio of restructures saves the Saints $13.7MM in cap space.

New Orleans has also restructured the contracts of Pete Werner and Demario Davis, per NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett and ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell. Werner’s adjustment will create an additional $2.5MM in space. These moves also come after Ryan Ramczyk‘s restructure, a move that saved $16MM and likely will precede retirement.

The team is also expected to restructure Erik McCoy‘s deal, Underhill notes. A move that frees up $6.69MM in cap space is anticipated for McCoy, who is signed through 2027. As for Mathieu, it looks like his deal will be pushed through the 2026 season. His 2024 agreement tied him to the Saints through 2025, though customary void years were already present in the deal.

The Saints had resided more than $45MM over the cap recently, but they have completed more arduous journeys to reach cap compliance. Teams have until 3pm CT Wednesday — when the 2025 league year officially starts — move under the cap. OverTheCap presently lists the Saints as making another successful journey, placing them at just more than $20MM in cap room. They just take strange routes to get there.

Carr’s adjustment set to make a 2026 separation much more difficult, as $59.67MM in dead money (which would presumably be spread over two years via a post-June 1 release designation) will come in the event the middling QB is cut next year. The Saints are keeping Carr for 2025; the restructure ensures that. Questions about the Mickey Loomis operation’s increasingly complex blueprint will persist, as the Saints have not come close to escaping the NFL’s middle class since Drew Brees‘ retirement. It appears a similar plan will be in place for 2025. While hiring Kellen Moore represents a significant change, he will be working with a similar roster plan to the past few Saints efforts.

Saints Work Out Brian Allen, Add Chris Reed; Team Signs Shane Lemieux From Practice Squad

September 25th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following a 2-0 start featuring a suddenly explosive offense and their veteran-laden defense performing well, the Saints lost in Week 3 and came out of it worse for wear. Plenty of questions now face New Orleans, which was missing several key contributors at practice Wednesday.

Among them, the last two members of the team’s Drew Brees offensive lines. Erik McCoy is heading to IR, and right guard Cesar Ruiz is battling both knee and ankle injuries. Coming into the season with issues up front, New Orleans now has injury hurdles to negotiate early. As a result, reinforcements are coming.

One of them will move up from the practice squad, with another coming from outside the organization. Shane Lemieux is being signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, per ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, while NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill indicates Chris Reed is joining team’s P-squad.

While Reed comes to New Orleans from Minnesota, his Vikings tenure did not overlap with new OC Klint Kubiak‘s. Reed spent the previous two seasons in Minnesota, after Kubiak had moved on, and worked as a Vikings backup. Reed, who worked as a Panthers regular starter in 2020 and a Colts fill-in starter in 2021, will mix in at a reeling position group.

Oli Udoh, who started 16 games at guard for the Vikings during Kubiak’s 2021 season as OC, moved into the lineup once McCoy went down against the Eagles. Udoh kicked Lucas Patrick from left guard to center, and the Saints figure to lean on the versatile blocker’s experience there for the foreseeable future. The Saints have a younger option as well in Nick Saldiveri, a 2023 fourth-round pick. The Old Dominion alum began training camp working as the first-string left guard. Patrick eventually won the job, but both Udoh and Saldiveri could be summoned if Ruiz cannot go in Week 4.

Lemieux, who became a Giants starter as a rookie, battled constant injury trouble during his final three seasons in New York. A severe foot injury sidelined the former fifth-round pick for almost all of the 2021 and ’22 seasons. Lemieux returned in 2022 but played in only one game. A biceps injury in practice last October ended Lemieux’s contract year on a familiar note. This represents another shot for a player who has played in just six games over the past three seasons.

Reed joined Brian Allen and others, ex-Colts backup Josh Sills among them, at Wednesday’s workout. Formerly the Rams’ starting center in Super Bowl LVI who worked as the team’s starter for three seasons during an injury-plagued run in Los Angeles, Allen lost his job to Coleman Shelton last season and became an offseason cap casualty. Previously given a three-year, $18MM Rams deal, Allen could not make the Browns’ 53-man roster in August.

NFL Restructures: Saints, Ward, McGovern

March 2nd, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Ely Allen

With the league’s recent release of the new salary cap numbers and the rapid approach of free agency and the draft, NFL teams are working to clear up cap space to help add significant talent to their rosters for the 2024 NFL season. The Saints made a number of moves recently to reflect this pattern.

New Orleans agreed to a restructured deal with defensive end Carl Granderson, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The team converted a $9MM roster bonus that Granderson was due into a signing bonus spread over a five-year period. The move reduced his cap hit in 2024 from $12.45MM to $5.25MM, freeing up $7.2MM of cap space.

The team applied the same tactic to interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz‘s contract, per Pelissero, converting his $8MM roster bonus into a signing bonus and adding a void year to the end of his deal. The result saw Ruiz’s cap number drop from $10.85MM to $4.45MM, freeing up $6.4MM more of cap space.

One more time, the Saints got another player to sign a restructured deal this week. This time, star pass rusher Cameron Jordan agreed to convert $11.79MM of his 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Jordan’s base salary was reduced to $1.21MM, and the team cleared $9.43MM of cap space as a result.

Granderson, Ruiz, and Jordan join quarterback Derek Carr, defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd, and center Erik McCoy as Saints who have signed restructured deals to help clear cap space recently.

Here are a couple of other restructured deals from around the league:

The Browns got in on the party, agreeing to a restructured deal with cornerback Denzel Ward, per Pelissero. Cleveland converted $14.2MM of Ward’s base salary into a signing bonus and added a void year to the end of his contract. Ward’s 2024 salary is now $1.13MM as a result, and the move cleared $11.36MM of cap space for the upcoming league year.
Finally, the Bills were the other team this week to work towards more cap space. Offensive guard Connor McGovern agreed to a reworked deal that would convert $4.68MM of his 2024 base salary into a signing bonus and add two void years to the end of his contract, according to Pelissero. The restructure clears up $3.74MM of cap space for Buffalo.

Saints Rework Contracts Of Derek Carr, Nathan Shepherd

February 24th, 2024 at 9:43am CST by Ben Levine

After reworking Erik McCoy‘s contract earlier this week, the Saints continue to carve out cap space. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Saints have restructured quarterback Derek Carr‘s contract, opening around $23MM in cap space. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Field Yates adds that the team also restructured defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd‘s deal, clearing another $3MM in space.

Carr inked a four-year, $150MM contract with the Saints last offseason. According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, the Saints likely converted the maximum ($28.79MM) of Carr’s $30MM salary into a bonus, reducing the quarterback’s cap number from $35.7MM to $12.67MM in the process.

Of course, this instant relief will have an impact on the team’s future cap sheets. Per Greg Auman of FOX Sports, this recent restructure effectively assures that Carr will be sticking around New Orleans through at least the 2025 campaign. Next offseason, the Saints will be faced with paying Carr around $40MM, or they’ll be left with an untenable $50MM in dead cap by moving on. Fitzgerald adds that the recent cap machination boosts Carr’s future cap hits by around $5.76MM per season, and his $51.46MM cap number for the 2025 campaign now ranks fifth in the NFL.

Shepherd also joined New Orleans last offseason, inking a three-year, $15MM deal. He proceeded to have a career year, compiling 50 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 17 starts. While Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance in 2023, they did grade him as one of the better pass-rushing interior defenders in the NFL.

When accounting for the reworked deals for Carr, Shepherd, and McCoy, the Saints have opened up around $33MM in cap space this week…and they may not be done. Fowler reported yesterday that the team is expected to also rework the contract of offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz. Even with all their recent moves, the Saints still need to do a lot of work to become cap compliant. The team entered the offseason around $83MM over the cap.

Saints Sign OL Cesar Ruiz To Extension

September 17th, 2023 at 1:29pm CST by Ben Levine

SEPTEMBER 17: Details on the Ruiz pact are in, courtesy of ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. The 24-year-old will see fully guaranteed base salaries of $1.33MM and $1.35MM over each of the next two seasons, along with an $8MM roster bonus in 2024. Ruiz’s 2025 salary ($9.15MM) will become guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year. Overall, his cap hits will remain flat beginning next season, ranging from $10.65MM to $11MM.

SEPTEMBER 9: Cesar Ruiz is sticking in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints have signed their offensive lineman to a four-year extension.

The contract is worth $44MM and has a max value of $46MM. The deal also includes $30MM in guaranteed money. Ruiz was set to hit free agency following the 2023 season after previously having his fifth-year option declined.

Ruiz hasn’t necessarily lived up to his first-round billing through three seasons in the NFL. He became a full-time starter during his sophomore season and has started all 31 of his appearances over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus hasn’t been fond of his performance, never ranking him higher than 56th at his position (among 82 qualifying guards in 2021).

This past season, Ruiz ranked 59th among 77 qualifiers at offensive guard. He was sidelined for the final three games of the 2022 season after suffering a Lisfranc injury. The front office declined his fifth-year option back in May.

Despite his struggles and the Saints’ lack of commitment, general manager Mickey Loomis implied this offseason that Ruiz could still have a future with the team. The executive described the lineman as an “ascending player” and hinted that Ruiz could be a candidate for an extension. Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes that the lineman was a standout during training camp and preseason, while Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com believes Ruiz “enjoyed one of the best camps of any player on the roster.”

Saints IOL Cesar Ruiz Still Has Potential Future In New Orleans

June 17th, 2023 at 3:42pm CST by Ely Allen

In three years of professional football, interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz has struggled to live up to his first-round potential. Despite the Saints essentially echoing that sentiment by declining his fifth-year option, general manager Mickey Loomis seems to have implied that Ruiz still has a future with the team, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports.

After excelling as a pass-blocking center at Michigan in college, Ruiz hasn’t been able to find the same success at the NFL level. He has spent most of his time in New Orleans as the team’s primary right guard while filling in at times at his old center position. Ruiz found starts as a rookie thanks to injuries to Andrus Peat and Nick Easton and became a full time starter in his sophomore season.

He’s started every game he’s appeared in since taking over as a starter but has missed four games over his career, including three to end the 2022 regular season. Ruiz suffered a Lisfranc injury that held him out of the team’s final games of the year. He hasn’t practiced since the injury but was scheduled this week for a procedure to remove hardware from the initial surgery to repair his foot. The follow-up procedure was set to take place yesterday, according to Jeff Duncan of nola.com, which should give him enough recovery time to be back for training camp.

Given his on-field and injury struggles, it’s hard to see where his future lies with the Saints. According to Nowak, Loomis referred to Ruiz as an “ascending player,” saying he has high expectations for the fourth-year player. So why decline his fifth-year option?

Declining Ruiz’s fifth-year option makes 2023 a contract year for the lineman. He’ll have one year to prove he deserves a fifth year with the team and beyond. This season, he’ll need to prove that he is improving and ascending, as his general manager hopes. He’ll also need to display an ability to rebound from the season-ending injury from last year. Lisfranc injuries have a tendency to linger, but if Ruiz’s health holds up throughout the season, Nowak feels that an eventual extension is inevitable.

New Orleans signed veteran center Billy Price this week, as well. The move could be insurance in case Ruiz is unable to recover fully. It could also be in service of the goal to keep Ruiz at guard full-time. Without Price, Ruiz is the team’s primary backup at center behind Erik McCoy. If Price can earn the backup role, it would allow Ruiz to focus solely on his work at guard, potentially helping him to ascend to a level worthy of an extension.

2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

May 1st, 2023 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL teams have until May 2 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2020 first-rounders who are entering the final year of their rookie deals. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement and performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the third-20th highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position.

With the deadline looming, we’ll use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:

QB Joe Burrow, Bengals ($29.5MM): Exercised
DE Chase Young, Commanders ($17.45MM): Declined
CB Jeff Okudah, Falcons* ($11.51MM): N/A
T Andrew Thomas, Giants ($14.18MM): Exercised
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins ($23.2MM): Exercised
QB Justin Herbert, Chargers ($29.5MM): Exercised
DT Derrick Brown, Panthers ($11.67MM): Exercised
LB Isaiah Simmons, Cardinals ($12.72MM): Declined
CB C.J. Henderson, Jaguars** ($11.51MM): Declined
T Jedrick Wills, Browns ($14.18MM): Exercised
T Mekhi Becton, Jets ($12.57MM): Declined
WR Henry Ruggs, Raiders: N/A
T Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers ($18.24MM): Exercised
DT Javon Kinlaw, 49ers ($10.46MM): Declined
WR Jerry Jeudy, Broncos ($14.12MM): Exercised
CB AJ Terrell, Falcons ($12.34MM): Exercised
WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($17.99MM): Exercised
OL Austin Jackson, Dolphins ($14.18MM): Declined
CB Damon Arnette, Raiders: N/A
DE K’Lavon Chaisson, Jaguars ($12.14MM): Declined
WR Jalen Reagor, Vikings*** ($12.99MM): To decline
WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings ($19.74MM): Exercised
LB Kenneth Murray, Chargers ($11.73MM): Declined
G Cesar Ruiz, Saints ($14.18MM): Declined
WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers ($14.12MM): Exercised
QB Jordan Love, Packers ($20.27MM): Extended through 2024
LB Jordyn Brooks, Seahawks ($12.72MM): Declined
LB Patrick Queen, Ravens ($12.72MM): Declined
T Isaiah Wilson, Titans: N/A
CB Noah Igbinoghene, Dolphins ($11.51MM): Declined
CB Jeff Gladney, Vikings: N/A
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs ($5.46MM): To decline

* = Lions traded Okudah on April 11, 2023
** = Jaguars traded Henderson on Sept. 27, 2021
*** = Eagles traded Reagor on August 31, 2022

Saints Decline Cesar Ruiz’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

While not a Pro Bowler, Cesar Ruiz has been a starter for most of his Saints career. That places the fourth-year guard on the third tier of the CBA’s fifth-year option structure. As a result, the Saints are passing on Ruiz’s 2024 option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Had New Orleans followed through with the option pickup, Ruiz would have made $14.18MM in 2024. The NFL’s franchise and transition tag formula is used to calculate options, and it still places all offensive linemen under one umbrella. With tackle contracts inflating this price annually, interior O-linemen’s fifth-year options become more onerous — seeing as the 2020 CBA made them fully guaranteed — for teams.

The Saints passing on Ruiz’s option does not mean this partnership will end after four seasons, but the Michigan alum is now set for a contract year. Ruiz will earn $2.34MM in base salary this season and is tied to a cap number just north of $4MM. The Saints are positioned rely on the former No. 24 overall pick as their right guard again in 2023.

Primarily a center with the Wolverines, Ruiz has played guard as a pro. Erik McCoy‘s center entrenchment slid Ruiz to guard as a rookie, and despite not having played the position since his freshman year of college, Ruiz has started 40 games for the Saints. Pro Football Focus has not viewed Ruiz as an upper-echelon guard in any of his three seasons, slotting him just outside the top 50 at the position from 2020-22, and the 6-foot-4 blocker is coming off an injury-shortened season. A foot injury ended Ruiz’s 2022 slate after 14 games.

Ruiz, 23, played every snap for the Saints in 2021 and logged a 100% snap rate in the 14 games before being shut down last season. The Saints have McCoy, left guard Andrus Peat and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk signed to long-term extensions. The team has continued to make big investments in its O-line, drafting left tackle Trevor Penning in last year’s first round. Assuming Penning becomes a full-time starter in his second season, he makes it five homegrown first- or second-round picks comprising New Orleans’ O-line.

With a 2024 franchise tag not realistic for Ruiz, the Saints will have a decision to make on him before next year’s legal tampering period begins in March. The team did trade up to No. 103 to start Saturday’s fourth round, selecting Old Dominion O-lineman Nick Saldiveri. While Saldiveri worked as Old Dominion’s primary right tackle in recent years, he repped as an interior blocker at the Senior Bowl.