Saints IOL Cesar Ruiz Still Has Potential Future In New Orleans
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.
NFC South Notes: White, Falcons, Saints
Weeks after making a trade request, Devin White showed for Buccaneers minicamp this week. This was the expected outcome, but the talented linebacker did not participate. Still, Todd Bowles did not refer to this as a hold-in measure. The second-year Tampa Bay HC said (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine) the team wanted to gauge White’s readiness, though it is unclear if the former top-five pick is dealing with a specific injury. Bowles said he expects White to be ready to go for training camp. Though, that could be when a hold-in effort takes place in earnest. White, who avoided nearly $100K in fines by reporting to minicamp, is tied to an $11.7MM fifth-year option salary. Although White wants top-five ILB money and has not yet seen the Bucs show interest in signing off on such an extension, team brass said multiple times this offseason no trade desire exists on the organization’s part.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- It appears the Falcons‘ big-ticket Jessie Bates acquisition will displace Jaylinn Hawkins. After the former fourth-round pick started 16 games last season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter notes it will likely be Bates teaming with Richie Grant — a 17-game starter in 2022 — this year. Pro Football Focus’ No. 66 safety last season, Hawkins may factor in when the team uses three-safety looks. But a contract-year demotion looks set to commence.
- Falcons defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham missed last season’s final seven games due a full MCL tear, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. After not participating in OTAs, the third-year defender was back on the field at minicamp. Like Hawkins, Graham might see the Falcons’ free agency moves affect his role. The team signed David Onyemata and Calais Campbell, and Eddie Goldman is attempting to return after a 2022 retirement call. Goldman, however, did not work with the team during minicamp.
- Trevor Penning already underwent surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury sustained in Week 18. While the Saints tackle is expected to be ready for training camp, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan notes he is undergoing a second procedure Friday to remove hardware from the repaired foot. Penning started just one game as a rookie, seeing another injury — a torn foot ligament — delay his NFL debut by nearly three months. But the 2022 first-round pick is on track to be New Orleans’ Week 1 left tackle starter this year. James Hurst, the team’s primary blind-sider last season, shared first-team duties with third-year blocker Landon Young at minicamp.
- After spending the past two seasons as a Saints staffer, Sterling Moore will not be with the team going forward. The Saints dismissed the former cornerback from their staff, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Moore worked as New Orleans’ assistant DBs coach last season. Moore, 33, started 12 games for the Saints in 2016 and played two seasons with the team. The Saints hired a new defensive coordinator this offseason — Joe Woods — but it is unclear if that move will directly lead to Moore’s summer exit.
- The Saints made an addition to their scouting department recently, with InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton relaying (via Twitter) the team hired former Louisiana Tech staffer Ziad Qubti as their college scouting coordinator. This will be Qubti’s first NFL gig.
Saints Sign C Billy Price
The Saints aren’t done making moves on offense. After adding a pair of pass-catchers earlier today, the team has now added an offensive lineman. The team announced that they’ve signed veteran offensive lineman Billy Price.
[RELATED: Saints Sign WRs Keke Coutee, Lynn Bowden]
Price was a first-round pick by the Bengals back in 2018. The lineman missed a chunk of his rookie season due to a foot injury, but he otherwise started all 10 of his appearances. After that, he found himself in and out of Cincy’s lineup. Price started 10 of his 16 appearances during the 2019 campaign, and he started only one of his 16 games in 2020 (while appearing in a career-low 207 offensive snaps).
The lineman had his fifth-year option declined before getting dealt to the Giants for the 2021 season. He started 15 of his 16 appearances in New York, but he still had to settle for a practice squad gig with the Raiders to begin the 2022 campaign. He eventually caught on with the Cardinals and proceeded to start all 11 of his appearances for his new squad. Pro Football Focus didn’t love his performance in Arizona, grading him as the 35th center among 36 qualified players.
Price didn’t grade much better at his previous stops, but he’ll still provide New Orleans with some experience at the position. Per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com (via Twitter), the Saints have been hunting around for some reinforcement at center. Erik McCoy has a firm hold of the starting center gig, but the lineman has missed nine games over the past two seasons. If McCoy goes down again (and if the team hopes to keep Cesar Ruiz permanently at guard), then they’d be looking at UDFA Alex Pihlstrom as their only option at center.
Earlier today, the team added Keke Coutee and Lynn Bowden to their squad. The team also cut wideout Malik Flowers, running backSaRodorick Thompson, and offensive lineman Yasir Durant.
Saints Sign WRs Keke Coutee, Lynn Bowden
Keke Coutee and Lynn Bowden worked out for the Saints at their minicamp this week, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill notes (Twitter links). Each will earn an invitation to the next Saints round of practices.
The Saints are signing both wide receivers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Additionally, New Orleans waived wideout Malik Flowers, running back SaRodorick Thompson and offensive lineman Yasir Durant.
Coutee, 26, spent last season with the Colts; Bowden, 25, logged time on the Patriots’ practice squad. The former mid-round picks will vie for backup spots in New Orleans, which lost Jarvis Landry this offseason. The Saints still re-signed Michael Thomas, hoping the NFL single-season reception record holder can shake the injuries that have defined his 2020s, and return second-year speedster Rashid Shaheed. Longtime tertiary option Tre’Quan Smith also remains rostered, while the Saints signed Bryan Edwards and drafted A.T. Perry in the sixth round.
Best known for his time as a Texans slot receiver, Coutee failed to make Houston’s 2021 active roster and trekked to Indianapolis. The Texas Tech alum served as a regular punt returner with the Colts last season. That represented his most notable work since 2020, when the former fourth-round pick established a career highs with 33 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Since Deshaun Watson‘s on-field Houston finale, however, Coutee has only caught two passes. He auditioned for the Packers earlier this offseason.
A former third-round Raiders pick, Bowden is probably best known for being traded to the Dolphins before he could suit up for a game in Las Vegas. The 2020 draftee saw some action as a Dolphins slot/gadget performer as a rookie, hauling in 28 passes for 211 yards. He has not caught a pass since. The Dolphins dangled Bowden in trades last year before ultimately cutting him. The Patriots picked up the Kentucky alum and stashed him on their practice squad. The Pats waived Bowden in May. Like Coutee, Bowden has a return background — just not in the NFL. He saw punt-return action at Kentucky in each of his three seasons.
A three-year veteran, Durant played in one game for the Saints last season. The 6-foot-7 tackle out of Missouri has two career starts on his resume. A rookie out of Texas Tech, Thompson was part of New Orleans’ UDFA contingent last month. Flowers set the Division I-FCS record for kick-return touchdowns, with seven, and sits behind only Shaheed in Big Sky Conference history in return average.
Front Office Rumors: Vikings, DeLuca, Saints
The Vikings made a number of staff moves this past week. They’ve got one season under their belt with new head coach Kevin O’Connell and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and Minnesota continues to make adjustments to the front office.
The first such adjustment was the release of a longtime staffer in director of football quantitative methods and pro scout Scott Kuhn. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, the two parties decided to part ways after 16 years together. Kuhn first came to Minnesota in 2007, following former general manager Rick Spielman in his move from Miami. The former Dolphins staffer worked his way through multiple roles in Minnesota before finally landing his most recent role back in 2016.
Here are few other front office moves from around the NFC, mostly coming out of the Twin Cities:
- In further efforts to shape the front office to his liking, Adofo-Mensah brought a big piece over from Cleveland in Sam DeLuca, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. DeLuca had been with the Browns since 2013, serving mostly in the role of assistant director of pro scouting. He also spent some time with the Eagles before he joined Cleveland. In Minnesota, DeLuca will claim a role as the Vikings’ senior assistant director of pro personnel.
- The Vikings will reportedly also be adding a new scout, according to Stratton. Minnesota is poaching Matt Kelly from the Senior Bowl staff, where he served as director of football operations. With the Vikings, Kelly will be the team’s new West Coast area scout.
- Lastly, the Saints also parted ways with a longtime staffer, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune, letting go of a top analytics researcher in Ryan Herman. Herman joined the Saints back in 2017 after working with New Orleans’ assistant general manager Jeff Ireland in Miami, when Ireland was the Dolphins’ general manager. Herman’s seven years in Miami culminated in his role as the director of football administration before taking the job in New Orleans. After six years with the Saints as the team’s head of football research and strategy, New Orleans allowed Herman’s contract to expire.
2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team
The start of June has served as a key NFL financial period for decades. While teams no longer have to wait until after June 1 to make that cost-splitting cut designation, teams pick up the savings from those transactions today. With a handful of teams making post-June 1 cuts this year, here is how each team’s cap space (courtesy of OverTheCap) looks as of Friday:
- Chicago Bears: $32.58MM
- Carolina Panthers: $27.25MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $26.68MM
- New York Jets: $24.79MM
- Detroit Lions: $23.72MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $23.39MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $20.48MM
- Houston Texans: $16.81MM
- Green Bay Packers: $16.57MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $15.73MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $14.92MM
- New Orleans Saints: $14.27MM
- New England Patriots: $14.12MM
- Miami Dolphins: $13.9MM
- Cleveland Browns: $13.86MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $13.85MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $12.61MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $12MM
- Washington Commanders: $11.57MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $11.54MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $10.72MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $10.7MM
- Denver Broncos: $10.13MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $9.75MM
- Tennessee Titans: $7.99MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $7.94MM
- New York Giants: $3.82MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.37MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $1.49MM
- Buffalo Bills: $1.4MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $653K
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $402K
The Dolphins gained the most from a post-June 1 cut (Byron Jones) this year, creating $13.6MM in cap space from a deal that will spread out the cornerback’s dead money through 2024. But the Browns (John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney) and Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott) created more than $10MM in space as well.
The Jets’ number is a bit deceiving. They are still working on a restructure with Aaron Rodgers, as the trade acquisition’s cap number — after a Packers restructure — sits at just $1.22MM. In 2024, that number skyrockets to $107.6MM. Rodgers’ cap hit will almost definitely will climb before Week 1, so viewing the Jets along with the other teams north of $20MM in space is not entirely accurate.
Minnesota is moving closer to separating from its $12.6MM-per-year Dalvin Cook contract. The team already created some space by trading Za’Darius Smith to the Browns. Cleveland, which is one of the teams connected to DeAndre Hopkins, added Smith and did so with help from its Deshaun Watson restructure. Watson was set to count $54.9MM against the Browns’ 2023 cap. That number is down to $19.1MM, though the Browns’ restructure both ballooned Watson’s mid-2020s cap figures to $63.9MM — which would shatter the NFL record — and added a 2027 void year.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles sit atop the league in dead money, with the Bucs — largely from their April 2022 Tom Brady restructure — checking in at $75.3MM here. That total comprises nearly 33% of the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The Rams, at more than $74MM, are not far behind. Despite the Bills and Chiefs — the teams most frequently tied to Hopkins — joining the Bucs and Rams near the bottom of the league in cap space, both AFC contenders also sit in the bottom five in dead money.
Saints Sign TE Jesse James
For the third straight year, Jesse James has found a new team. The Saints announced on Wednesday that they have signed the veteran tight end. 
James’ longest and most productive stint came with the Steelers to begin his career. His four-year tenure in Pittsburgh saw him start 36 of 56 games, and record a personal-best 423 receiving yards in 2018. He has bounced around the league since then, however, spending two years in Detroit followed by one in Chicago.
The 28-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Browns last year, as he aimed to rebuild his value in a depth role. James wound playing only 18 offensive snaps across two games in Cleveland, however, before a biceps injury ended his season. He will now look to find more playing time and better luck on the health front in New Orleans.
James will join a Saints TE room which includes returnee Juwan Johnson and Swiss Army Knife Taysom Hill. New Orleans traded away Adam Trautman during the draft, but they have since signed Foster Moreau in an encouraging sign with respect to his recent cancer diagnosis. James will thus have plenty of competition for playing time in 2023, a season in which the team’s expectations on offense have been raised given the addition of quarterback Derek Carr.
In addition to James, the Saints announced that they have signed fullback Jake Bargas. The former UDFA entered the league with the Vikings, making one appearance with them in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He spent much of the the past campaign on the Dolphins’ practice squad. To make room for those additions, kicker Alex Quevedo has been waived, leaving the Saints with two players (Wil Lutz and Blake Grupe) at that position.
Saints QB Jameis Winston Eyeing Future Starting Role
Jameis Winston is in line to continue serving in a backup role with the Saints in 2023, but he does not envision the remainder of his career consisting solely of QB2 duties. The 29-year-old made it clear he intends to pursue a starting job in the future. 
“The main thing is the opportunity, and I’m just grateful every chance I get an opportunity to step into a building and play a sport I love.” Winston said, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “However, I know that I’m still a starting quarterback in this league… There’s some Hall of Famers that made their big break at 30. So I’m still young, I’m still 29, but right now my role is to serve this team in the role that I’m in.”
The former No. 1 pick’s most recent full campaign as a starter came in 2019, his final season with the Buccaneers. Winston threw for over 5,100 yards and 33 touchdowns that season, though he also tossed 33 interceptions. A fresh start emerged for him in New Orleans, where he ultimately took over as the team’s Drew Brees successor in 2021.
An ACL tear interrupted his campaign, however, and limited him to just seven games that year. His level of play that season (including a 5-2 record and a 14:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio) led to the expectation that he would carry on as the Saints’ starter last season. After only three starts in 2022, though, Winston was replaced by Andy Dalton; the latter remained atop the depth chart even after Winston had healed in full from his latest injury troubles.
That led many to expect the latter would head elsewhere this offseason in search of a new opportunity. Instead, Winston agreed to a new deal which has a maximum value of $8MM (compared to the $12.8MM he was originally due in 2023) to keep him in New Orleans. That puts him in line to serve as a backup to free agent signing Derek Carr, who enters the coming year with high expectations given the four-year, $150MM deal he inked. Winston is unlikely to see any signficant playing time in 2023, but he expects that to change down the road.
“It’s challenging to be a NFL quarterback,” he said. “And when you have an opportunity to be a starting NFL quarterback, you want to make the most of it. I’ve just had some unfortunate injuries over the past three years, so this is where I’m at. But this is not what I visualize being in the near future.”
Latest On Jon Gruden’s Saints Meeting
Embroiled in litigation against the NFL and Roger Goodell stemming from his October 2021 forced resignation, Jon Gruden has hovered well off the league’s coaching radar since his Raiders departure. The Super Bowl-winning HC’s recent Saints visit brought him back onto the grid.
The Saints met with Gruden over a four-day period last week, seeking his input regarding Derek Carr‘s strengths and weaknesses. Gruden coached Carr for three-plus seasons, and while that tenure ended badly, the two-time Raiders HC helped the passer rebound from a down mid-career stretch.
“In Jon, we have a resource here that is football through and through,” Saints HC Dennis Allen said, via SI.com’s Albert Breer. “And he’s had an opportunity to work with Derek Carr. “So what better [way to use that] resource than to just get some thoughts and ideas on how he worked with Derek and what he thought worked well with Derek?”
Gruden visited Saints OTA sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, per Breer, doing so after having dinner with GM Mickey Loomis on Tuesday night in New Orleans. While Gruden supplied the Saints’ staff with a number of ideas on how best to use Carr, Breer adds Allen made a point to inform 15th-year Saints OC Pete Carmichael the team would not be running the Gruden offense. Even as it will still be Carmichael calling plays for a second straight season, some of Gruden’s concepts will be added to the mix via various tweaks.
Gruden spent a season working with Sean Payton in Philadelphia; the Eagles employed Payton as QBs coach under then-OC Gruden in 1997. Although considerable time has passed since that point, that link added an element of familiarity for Gruden regarding the offense Carmichael is running in New Orleans.
Payton ran the show on offense for the Saints throughout his 15-year run on the sidelines, though Carmichael served as their play-caller during the now-Broncos HC’s 2012 Bountygate suspension. Carmichael received another chance to call plays last season, after Payton stepped down from his post. The Saints improved from 28th to 19th in total offense from 2021-22 but scored fewer points compared to Payton’s final year, falling from 19th to 22nd in that area. The team then handed Carr a four-year, $150MM contract (featuring a $100MM practical guarantee) to stop the post-Drew Brees QB carousel.
After Carr’s third-place MVP finish in 2016, his QBR dropped to 20th (2017) and then 27th (2018). The ’18 result came in Gruden’s first year, a season in which the Raiders traded Amari Cooper. Despite the Raiders’ Antonio Brown trade failing to produce any regular-season snaps in 2019, Carr began his bounce-back effort in Gruden’s offense. He ranked 10th in QBR in 2019, 11th in 2020 and 14th during the 2021 season that ended with OC Greg Olson calling the shots. Carr did not prove a fit in Josh McDaniels‘ offense, and the Raiders released him after nine seasons.
Gruden’s lawsuit against the league is ongoing, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds the Saints did not receive negative feedback for their meeting. The Saints had even planned to bring in Gruden earlier, per Breer, but schedules did not align. Gruden, 59, has expressed a desire to coach again. A fourth HC opportunity seems highly unlikely, but the Saints appear serious about using some of Gruden’s concepts this season.
Saints GM: Cameron Jordan Will Finish Career In New Orleans
The Saints have begun extension talks with Cameron Jordan. This would mark a rare three-extension career for a non-quarterback, but Jordan — the Saints’ all-time sack leader — has continued to display durability and quality production into his mid-30s.
Although no deal is done, it does not sound like the Saints will chance letting Jordan come close to hitting free agency in 2024. The contract-year pass rusher remains firmly in the organization’s plans, with GM Mickey Loomis indicating Jordan will be a one-team player.
“He’s meant so much, not just to the organization, but the community and how he embraced New Orleans. He’ll definitely be with us for the duration of his career,” Loomis said during a Sirius XM Radio interview (Twitter links via NOLA.com’s Rod Walker). “He’s going to be able to play for us as long as he wants to and as long as he can.”
Jordan, 34 in July, is finishing up a three-year, $52.5MM deal he inked in 2019. One more year will match Saints Hall of Fame pass rusher Rickey Jackson, the franchise’s sack leader if unofficial totals before the sack era are included, but Jordan (115.5 career sacks) appears to be eyeing a move past Year 13. The 2011 first-round pick has missed just two games throughout his career, totaling an astounding 16 games played in all 12 of his NFL seasons.
New Orleans’ defensive line anchor totaled eight sacks last season but saw his quarterback-hit number drop from 22 (in 2021) to 13. The Saints lost five-year Jordan sidekick Marcus Davenport in free agency but have 2021 first-round pick Payton Turner and 2023 second-rounder Isaiah Foskey in place as wingmen going forward. The team also let longtime D-tackle starter David Onyemata walk in free agency; first-rounder Bryan Bresee will be charged with replacing him.
In the years since Jordan’s third Saints contract, T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Joey Bosa, Maxx Crosby and Bradley Chubb have signed deals at or north of $20MM per year. Jordan did not become the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher in 2019 and will not threaten that place this year, especially with Nick Bosa ticketed for a contract north of $30MM per year. But Jordan remains a top-10 highest-paid D-end. A lucrative short-term deal that will help on the void-years front the Saints regularly navigate would stand to be mutually beneficial. Jordan’s current contract, which the team restructured again this offseason, contains a $23.3MM void charge. That puts the onus on the Saints to extend him before the 2024 league year. It sounds like they are ready to do so.
Only Jackson and Drew Brees have started more games than Jordan (191) with the Saints. Given his lack of an injury past, Jordan should be expected to cruise into second place on this list this season. He would need to play into the 2025 season in New Orleans to surpass Brees (228). That might not be out of the question.