We haven't seen the same production from the New Orleans Saints' 2026 NFL Draft class as what buoyed the team to relevance in 2025. Each of their top three picks have missed time with injuries to start the season, and only one of their fourth rounders has consistently gotten into games (wide receiver Bryce Lance, who caught his first touchdown pass on Sunday). That trend could change if their other fourth-round pick stays in the starting lineup. Former Auburn Tigers right guard Jeremiah Wright replaced the injured Cesar Ruiz midway through Week 6's win over the New York Giants, and his physical style of play may have uncovered a winning formula.
Nola.com's Matthew Paras shared the team's run splits with and without Ruiz; the Saints averaged 4.4
yards per carry on nine carriers with him at right guard, improving to 4.7 yards per attempt on 29 tries with Wright in the lineup instead. But that includes a couple of scrambles by Tyler Shough. Focus on the running backs and it's a difference of 3.9 yards per carry (with Ruiz) to 4.5 (with Wright). That's a significant upgrade.
But it may not be as simple as swapping one for another. ESPN's Katherine Terrell highlighted the run bock win rates from TruMedia, which found that Wright had the lowest win rate on the team (60.7%). In comparison, Ruiz won 75% of his blocks, which was better than Wright but still ranked eighth out of ten players. That tracks. Ruiz has been better in pass protection than on rushing plays for most of his career, only really excelling in both phases when Klint Kubiak implemented his outside zone-heavy blocking scheme back in 2024.
Now Ruiz is dealing with a knee injury. He had an MRI in New York and traveled with the team to Paris for this week's game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we may have to wait for the first injury report on Wednesday to get an idea of his status. The Saints had the most success against the Giants when they were aggressively leaning on the run game. They shouldn't rush Ruiz back if he's hurt, but they should seriously consider giving the rookie more snaps even if Ruiz is good to go.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints may have found a winning formula with rookie OL Jeremiah Wright
