First, Bryan Bresee and now, Dillon Radunz. The New Orleans Saints saw their second player go down with a torn ACL during training camp. Radunz and Bresee aren't comparable as far as player and role on the team, but this injury still has the potential to be highly impactful.
Radunz left Saturday's practice with a knee injury, and Kellen Moore later confirmed it was a torn ACL. It's a tough blow for a player who returned to New Orleans on a one-year contract. It's also a blow for an offense that just lost their sixth offensive lineman in jumbo packages and their most trusted reserve lineman as well.
#Saints RG Dillon Radunz suffered a Torn ACL, head coach Kellen Moore announced. pic.twitter.com/3zKjJgqKQP
— NOF (@nofnetwork) August 9, 2026
Saints just lost their biggest security blanketÂ
Radunz suffered the injury on Saturday, and it was the first day he was able to show his greatest value to the team on display. Radunz took first team reps as Cesar Ruiz took snaps as the second team center. Radunz was the Saints’ security blanket on the offensive line, and Saturday’s plan showed how far his impact reached.Â
Radunz's insertion into the starting lineup for the day was to get a look at Ruiz at center. With Erik McCoy's recent injury struggles, that makes a lot of sense. It's Radunz that allows you to think about moving your guard to center, because the Saints would still have a player with starting experience at right guard.
That starting experience wouldn't only benefit the Saints in case of McCoy getting hurt. It also allows the Saints to have a valid backup plan if Ruiz were to have to miss time.
It's not that Radunz was a starter, or was even battling to be one. He struggled at times for the team last season, when asked to be a long term starter. What he could have been, however, was a good band-aid for the offensive line.
Radunz's experience would've allowed for him to step in at either guard position, and allowed the Saints to have 5 "starters" on the field in case of any injury on the interior. That luxury is gone now that Radunz is out for the season.
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