Saints Star RT Out for Season

An unfortunate development has emerged from New Orleans as the Saints' star right tackle, Ryan Ramczyk, has been announced out for the upcoming season. By rule, vested veterans placed on reserve or the PUP list before the final roster reduction are done for the year. In simpler terms, any player placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list before the final roster cuts must sit out the entire season. In March, it was reported that Ramczyk was recovering slower than expected. Head Coach Dennis Allen said in March that Ramczyk was “not quite where we had hoped he would be.” Ramczyk is still recovering from an offseason knee procedure, one of the many injuries that have plagued him in recent years.

In 2021, Ramczyk started dealing with a knee injury that caused him to miss six games. That was the first season Ramczyk missed more than one game until this past season, which saw him miss five. Ramczyk is undoubtedly one of the best at the position when healthy, having made the All-Pro team three years in a row from 2018-2020, including a First Team selection in 2019. However, since 2020, he has yet to reclaim his spot as an All-Pro, largely due to injuries. At 30 years old, Ramczyk is a seasoned veteran and could consider retirement if injuries continue to plague his career.

Moving into 2024 and beyond, we all hope to see Ryan back on the field, playing at a high level as he is accustomed to. At the same time, if retirement is his choice, we should celebrate what a great career it’s been and how tremendous he has been as a player.