Saints: 4 players who should receive extensions in the near future
By Justin Fried
2. Ryan Ramczyk, RT, New Orleans Saints
Terron Armstead isn’t the only star offensive tackle the Saints need to extend in the near future. Even if they lock up the left side of their offensive line, they’ll need to do the same with Ryan Ramczyk at right tackle.
Ramczyk was another part ——of that incredible 2017 NFL Draft class that also netted the Saints Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara, and Marcus Williams.
And in a weird twist of irony, the success of that draft class might force the Saints into a tricky predicament in the near future.
Ramczyk has quickly developed into one of the best right tackles in football and is just a year removed from being named the No. 1 offensive tackle in the NFL by PFF after a spectacular 2019 season.
He was nearly as good again in 2020 and has become a rock opposite Armstead on the offensive line. And at just 27-years-old, he’ll certainly be looking to cash in on a big payday this offseason.
But with the Saints looking to create cap space now, they could look to sign Ramczyk before the season begins.
Fortunately for New Orleans, the market for right tackles still isn’t as strong as the one for left tackles, so they won’t need to pay Bakhtiari money to both Armstead and Ramczyk.
That said, he’ll still command a sizable pay raise.
It might not be possible for the Saints to keep both Armstead and Ramczyk, but if they’re forced to choose between the two, they’ll likely go with the younger (and probably cheaper) Ramczyk.