What Saints Player Locked Up a Starting Spot This Year After the Draft & So Far In Free Agency?

David Edwards was signed in free agency, and although Saints fans were hoping RG Cesar Ruiz would be replaced, too, it ain’t happening

New Orleans Saints guard Cesar Ruiz signed a four-year contract extension before the 2023 season that lasts through the 2027 season. | David Banks-Imagn Images

By most accounts, the New Orleans Saints have now had three consecutive solid drafts, although obviously we’ll see what happens with this 2026 class in the coming months.

The one veteran player Who Dats have been (not-so-secretly) wishing would be moved to at least a backup role is right guard Cesar Ruiz. And while the team found their starting left guard in free agency last month in former Buffalo Bills lineman David Edwards, they obviously have made it clear Ruiz is their starter on the right side.

Contractually, the likely thing was always for Ruiz to come back and start. He signed a four-year $44 million extension just before the start of the 2023 season that runs through 2027. According to Spotrac, his dead cap figure this year is $16.85 million this year but $9.49 million next year.

It would be much more feasible for the team to address this spot next offseason if Ruiz has another down year.

Grades say Ruiz slightly below average

It has been an up-and-down career for Ruiz, who had a decent year in 2024 but took a step back in 2025.

His PFF grades put him slightly above average overall two seasons ago, and he was ranked the 24th-best guard out of 77 in the NFL. However, last season, that ranking dropped to 57th out of 81 and 73rd out of 81 in run blocking, which was part of the reason the Saints were 28th in the league in rushing yards per game in 2025.

With Edwards and a major upgrade in the running back room by signing veteran Travis Etienne from Jacksonville, Ruiz could see his numbers rise again.

Travis Etienne signed with the New Orleans Saints in March 2026 and immediately changes the hopes of a solid running game for a team that ranked 28th last season. | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even in an off year, PFF ranked him 13th out of 81 in pass blocking last season, which was up for the third straight year.

Saints additions on OL so far

Other than Edwards, the only other significant addition to the offensive line came in the fourth round of the draft when they took guard Jeremiah Wright (6-0, 338) out of Auburn. He doesn’t appear to be NFL ready, but could be a project to become a starter by his second year.

#Saints take a need in Auburn G Jeremiah Wright in 4th Round of #NFL Draft. Initial thoughts On SI: https://t.co/fUk0cHO5ii

— Jim Derry (@JimDerryJr) April 25, 2026

As of this writing, there really aren’t many other players on the roster to challenge Ruiz.

Dillon Radunz, who was brought in before last season from Tennessee and re-signed in the offseason to a two-year, $6.9 million deal, is a veteran the team hopes to use only for depth purposes.

There also were two undrafted free agents signed – Alan Herron of Maryland and Alex Wollschlaeger of Kentucky – but they both were tackles in college and are longshots to make the team.

Nick Saldiveri, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2023, has been oft-injured and very well could be on his last chance to make the team this coming training camp.

In other words, barring injury or something strange, Ruiz will be the starting right guard for the New Orleans Saints on Opening Day 2026.