New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Trevor Penning is the player of the day, as there are officially 70 days, or 10 Sundays, until the black and gold kick off their 2025 season against the Arizona Cardinals.
Why 2025 will be vital for Trevor Penning
Some say that he was a questionable choice in 2022, but for the Saints needs, Penning was the right fit. He just couldn't live up to the hype that comes with a top-20 pick. However, the signs of the aggressive, hard-nosed lineman the Saints saw were there, as he got in several scuffles throughout offseason practices his rookie season. Unfortunately, a turf toe injury suffered during the preseason would cause him to miss half of that year.
The following season was worse, with Penning being benched four weeks into the 2023 season. New Orleans then wasted no time in getting a new tackle, drafting Taliese Fuaga in the first round of the following draft. After Fuaga's selection, Penning switched positions for the first time in 2024, moving from left tackle to right tackle due to Ryan Ramczyk's knee injury that sidelined him for the season (the same injury would later lead to his retirement).
While Penning had a respectable debut on the right side, the Saints would still draft another tackle in the 2025 draft in Kelvin Banks Jr. After the Saints drafted Banks Jr., a left tackle, Fuaga would move to his natural position at right tackle. That led Penning to have to switch positions once again, this time to left guard.
Penning holds no worries in that aspect. "For me, the things that I do well I think fit better at guard." Penning said during OTAs. "Not to say I can't play tackle, but in the run game especially, I think the things I do well shine at guard."
The Saints did not pick up Penning's fifth-year option, so to say that he's in the hot seat would be an understatement, because at this point, his chair is in flames. Penning will need to pull together a successful season in 2025 or his run with the Saints is likely over.