The New Orleans Saints have made numerous additions to their offense this offseason; however, one of their first pieces added might be their most valuable: left guard David Edwards. A former Super Bowl champion, he's had people raving about him since the spring.
In his first media presser of the fall, Edwards' new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier backed up all the hype. "I think the addition of David has been a substantial upgrade to our offense," Nussmeier said. "Like I said, we still have a long way to go, but when you bring guys in like that that love football, that have really good football knowledge, a lot of experience, and are willing to share with others... I think it is invaluable."
In recent years, the Saints' offensive line has been fragile, and last year's 49 sacks allowed was a breaking point. It was the most they've let through in at least the past decade of football, marking a need for change. With Edwards, the change might be huge.
What David Edwards can bring to New Orleans' offense
The first area of the offense that should really feel the difference would be the run game. Last year when he was in Buffalo as their starting left guard, the Bills' run offense ranked first in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Saints were oh so close to the bottom of the league, ranking 28th overall.
I'm not saying that with Edwards the Saints' run game will magically be the best in the league, but I am saying that he could help make it the best it's been in years. Either way though, the New Orleans run game can finally be positively talked about in national media circles. Steady play at LG can really do wonders.
Edwards can also be Tyler Shough's best friend by keeping the 300 lb+ defensive tackles away from him. Luckily that's a relationship that's already in development, with Edwards quickly becoming a fan of his new quarterback. This past June, he compared Shough to two former league MVPs.
Early chemistry has also been seen between Edwards and the rest of the offensive line, with center and team captain Erik McCoy calling him "a hell of a ball player." He's even in a first-time dad group chat with right guard Cesar Ruiz, who calls fatherhood the best hood. Those comments/moments have also now had time to be built upon, with them being said at the beginning of the offseason.
Saints fans will finally get to see Edwards in some real action soon, with the regular season less than two weeks away. There in the Motor City, the chemsitry he's built over the offseaosn will be put to the test.
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