When the New Orleans Saints picked Jeremiah Wright in the first round of the NFL Draft, most fans simultaneously said, "that's Cesar Ruiz's replacement." After Dillon Radunz tore his ACL in practice on Saturday, Wright just got much closer to seeing the field much sooner.
There was no battle for the starting right guard job, but there is pressure on Ruiz after Mickey Loomis put him on notice in the end of season speech earlier this year. He may have more room to breathe now that Radunz is out for the season, but it isn't an infinite leash.
Wright looked good in pads, but suffered an injury of his own. It isn't severe, but it has kept the rookie out of action. It's more important than ever for Wright to get back on the field and resume that part of his development.
Jeremiah Wright is now one play away from the Saints needing him
The day Radunz got hurt, we saw a plan of what could happen if Erik McCoy suffered another injury. The Sains were using Ruiz at second team center and Radunz at first team right guard. What we don't know is how Radunz influenced the willingness to put Ruiz at center.
Kellen Moore could have embraced the idea of Ruiz filling in for an injured McCoy at center because he knew he still had a player with starting experience who could play right guard. Instead, the option is a rookie who is expected to need some time to develop to be ready. That's where the pressure comes into play.
Wright was expected to need some time, but now he's next in line. There's a decent chance (knock on wood) that whether he's ready or not, Wright will see the field at some point in 2026 as a starter.
Ruiz has played a full season once in his career. Even if McCoy does stay healthy or the Saints opt for a different choice at backup center, Ruiz has his own injury challenges to overcome. With no Radunz in the picture, Wright would be the one who needs to step up.
Ruiz going to center or having to miss time himself are two very realistic routes to Wright seeing the field soon and often. Many fans think he can be the future, and we could get our first look of what that looks like.
Wright is currently dealing with a shoulder injury. In a perfect world, he'll be back in time for the first preseason game. The Saints have joint practices with every preseason opponent, so the starters may not play at all in the game. No Radunz leaves Wright to see an even heavier workload for the preseason.
The word of the season has always been development for Wright, and now the question is: How soon?
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