ESPN finds Saints some veteran offensive line help in a proposed preseason trade

It’s no secret the New Orleans Saints offensive line is the team’s weakness. The unit is only returning two starters, with three young and inexperienced players expected to step into the other starting roles. Anyone who has watched enough football knows the Saints season could be ruined if these three linemen aren’t ready to deliver.

The team is hard at work in training camp, trying to get the offensive line prepared. So far, the unit has had a bunch of mixed performances, seeing good days and bad days. However, one thing has been clear, it won’t hurt the Saints to bring in some veteran insurance options.

ESPN’s Seth Walder agrees with that sentiment, because in a recent piece naming preseason trades teams should make, Walder argued New Orleans should acquire a veteran offensive lineman. Specifically, Walder suggested the Saints engage in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants to bring Larry Borom to New Orleans.

ESPN proposes Saints trade for Bears lineman Larry Borom

The full trade has New Orleans sending a 2025 fifth-round pick to New York, the Giants sending edge defender Azeez Ojulari to the Bears, and Chicago sending offensive tackle Larry Borom to the Saints.

Walder details how New Orleans is planning to roll with Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning as the team’s tackles. While Fuaga has a promising outlook, things haven’t gone all that well for Penning in his two years in the league.

"After barely playing his rookie season, Penning recorded a 73% pass block win rate over 389 snaps at left tackle in 2023, which would have ranked worst of all tackles had he qualified."

- Seth Walder on Trevor Penning

Of course, the third-year tackle could find his footing now that he’s on the right side of the line. However, Walder believes it’d be a good idea to have Borom, who “has a career 89% pass block win rate at tackle, roughly average for the position,” on the roster as well.

That seems like an easy trade to make, and one that makes a tone of sense for the Saints. The last thing New Orleans wants to happen is this make-or-break season going down the drain because the team didn’t make enough moves at a position it knew it was weak at. The Saints still have more weeks of camp and the preseason to evaluate the offensive line, and if they sense any weaknesses, they have to add another lineman.

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