New Orleans Saints: 4 players who need to step up in 2021
By Jonny Camer
If the New Orleans Saints want to add a second Super Bowl trophy to the collection, they’re going to need some guys to step up.
Fans will want to see every single player outperform expectations and excite us but there are a few players that need to prove themselves more than others.
Whether it’s coming off a bad season or proving themselves to the league, the players I’m going to discuss are in need of a big season if the team wants to make it to the promised land.
New Orleans Saints that need to step up – No. 4: Cesar Ruiz
Fans were shocked when the New Orleans Saints selected Cesar Ruiz out of Michigan in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as the team was already pretty loaded along their offensive line.
Ruiz was ready to show Saints fans what he was capable of, and prove the doubters wrong. At the start of the season, he had Saints fans worried as he was struggling to adapt to the NFL level. However, Ruiz did seem to look more comfortable on the field and play better as the season went on.
He flashed his future potential on the field many times, and fans could see why New Orleans drafted Ruiz. All in all, his average to below-average play left fans feeling disappointed. In his second season, fans want to see Ruiz clean up his mistakes and improve on his stronger second half of the season.
If Ruiz is able to step up this will most certainly be beneficial to the offense as it will already make a stacked offensive line even better. This will also allow whichever quarterback Sean Payton decides on will have an easier time in the pocket.
Right now the Saints have two All-Pro caliber tackles, an elite center, and a solid left guard. If Ruiz can improve, it will make the Saints offensive line complete from top to bottom.