The Saints’ standout tackle’s injury worries are worse than expected.
Ryan Ramczyk, the right tackle for the New Orleans Saints, has struggled with knee ailments throughout his NFL career, and there were several stories of bad news on Tuesday morning.
“The Saints are preparing for the very real possibility that OT Ryan Ramczyk will be medically unable to play this season,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted.
That happened just about an hour after New Orleans coach Dennis Allen stated Ramczyk’s health progress “remains to be seen” and that he felt better about his right tackle’s knee during the NFL Combine. Ramczyk underwent a knee operation this summer after missing the last four games of the season.
“I’m not seeing as much development as I’d want at this stage… I think we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out as the offseason progresses and training camp begins.”
Ramczyk got a five-year, $96 million contract before the 2022 season, becoming him the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle at the time. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2019, and second-team in 2018 and 2020. His contract was adjusted this summer, leaving him with only $12.8 million against the salary limit. That figure rises to $29.6 million and $26.8 million, respectively, in 2025 and 2026.
If Ramczyk is not available in 2024, New Orleans will need to fill both tackle positions. Even with the 29-year-old healthy, acquiring a left tackle was critical. Landon Young, a 2021 sixth-round pick, replaced Ramczyk at the conclusion of last season, but he is unlikely to be the easy solution. Trevor Penning was picked by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, however he was benched in 2023.
New Orleans possesses the 14th and 45th overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. This revelation increases the likelihood that a tackle will be picked with one of those two choices.
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