Taliese Fuaga isn’t one of the offensive players that is one of the first to come to mind, but in reality, he’s the most important player to the New Orleans Saints’ success other than Tyler Shough. The matchups Fuaga has to face and the consequences from losing those battles puts a massive spotlight on the third year tackle.
Forget being on the front of fans’ mind in relation to all offensive players. He may be the last offensive lineman fans talk or think about. It isn’t from lack of talent or belief in him. Other linemen simply have more interesting storylines on the surface.
Kelvin Banks Jr. is projected to take a huge step forward after an already impressive rookie season. David Edwards is the shiny new toy in the unit. Erik McCoy’s health will be under a microscope all season. Cesar Ruiz is playing for his job. All of those are stories that command attention. Taliese Fuaga has a storyline deserving of being mentioned right along with them. He’s facing a litany of elite edge rushers.
Taliese Fuaga faces a murderer's row of edge rushers
Fuaga is a bit of a quiet weapon. Fans know how talented he is, but the importance of his role can’t be stressed enough. Fuaga has the ability to make or break multiple games this season.
T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson, and Maxx Crosby are all capable of taking over and changing the course of a game by themselves, and they all rush over the right tackle primarily. Fuaga has to see all of them. These are 4 edge rushers who could all reasonably lead the league in sacks in 2026. They're four head to head matchups Fuaga would be a significant underdog in.
Jaelan Phillips Rueben Bain and the Atlanta Falcons duo of pass rushers make up six of the Saints games. Phillips has primarily rushed off the right side, and Bain did the same in college. The Falcons don't have a primary defender over the right tackle, but James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker present challenges when on the field. Like Atlanta, the Giants have multiple talented edge rushers they can throw at Fuaga.
It's on Fuaga to protect Shough in 2026. Yes, it's the entire unit's job, but Fuaga is going to draw the hardest assignment on many weeks. Kellen Moore doesn't like to give help, but he may have to make an exception this year. Fuaga having a strong year is going to say a lot about who he is.
If the right tackle performs admirably, the offense will move significantly more smooth than it did last season. If Fuaga struggles, Shough will be under constant pressure of the right edge. And that pressure will be coming from elite edge rushers who don't often miss on situations like that.
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