The Saints’ offense struggled to find consistency last season, and that inconsistency even spilled over into their inability to start games effectively. When examining the offense, there are several areas that could be blamed, but one of the primary issues was play at the line of scrimmage.
The offensive line has been a constant concern in recent years, and it has not been due to a lack of investment. Entering the 2025 season, the Saints fielded a starting offensive line that featured four first-round picks and a high second-round selection who was drafted in a year when the Saints did not have a first-round pick.
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By the end of the season, however, the group was a shell of itself. The only consistent presence along the line was rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who did not miss a single game and held the starting job from the first day of rookie minicamp.
That turnover along the offensive line led to numerous missed assignments and overall poor play. When taking a deeper look at the numbers, the Saints used 10 different offensive linemen throughout the season, resulting in 204 blown blocks.
A blown block occurs any time a blocker fails to successfully engage the defender he is attempting to block, allowing that defender an opportunity to negatively impact the play. The Saints recorded 204 blown blocks during the season, averaging 12 per game.
For comparison, the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks had 149 blown blocks, which averages to approximately 8.8 per game. The run-heavy Baltimore Ravens posted the exact same total. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills featured one of the best offensive lines in football, recording just 128 blown blocks on the season, an average of 7.5 per game.
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That total includes guard David Edwards, who was responsible for only 15 blown blocks over 972 snaps—less than one per game. By those numbers, he would have been the Saints’ most reliable offensive lineman.
The position group that needs the most improvement—and should improve with another year of development—is tackle. Banks accounted for 42 blown blocks on the left side, while Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning/Richards combined for 60 on the right side. Together, the tackle positions were responsible for exactly half of the offensive line’s blown blocks.
The improved guard play and veteran presence of David Edwards should immediately benefit Banks, while Fuaga should continue to improve with another year in the same offensive system. It’s important to remember that while 2025 was Fuaga’s second NFL season, it was his first season in Kellen Moore’s offense.
Additionally, the addition of rookie Jeremiah Wright should provide competition for Cesar Ruiz while also improving the overall depth of the unit.
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While these numbers may seem alarming, the biggest takeaway is that the Saints need to stay healthy. If they can rely on their starting five for most of the season, many of these blown blocks should decrease. Fewer missed assignments will create better running lanes and reduce the pressure on Tyler Shough when he drops back to pass.
David Edwards, the continued growth of two promising young tackles, the return of a healthy Erik McCoy, and either a motivated Cesar Ruiz or an emerging Jeremiah Wright should give the Saints an offensive line capable of becoming one of the best units in the NFC South.
Special thanks to the team at Sports Info Solutions for providing the data and analytics used in this article.
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