Trevor

Penning

He’ll have a three-week window to get ready, but he was already spotted by Saints reporters at practice on Thursday. It’s probably too much to ask to get him ready for Week 10, but Week 11 could be plausible. James Hurst has actually been a solid replacement for Penning and might move inside to guard whenever Penning returns, as Andrus Peat is both hurt and has struggled when he’s actually played.

Penning suffered his injury in the Saints preseason finale and was placed on IR soon after. Set to miss a minimum of four games, a return in November would put Penning closer to eight to 10 games missed. Expected to earn a starting job in camp, the loss of Penning is a big one for the Saints. While the news of an impending return is encouraging, we’re still a long way off from knowing when he could actually return to action.

Penning will miss a minimum of four games, but it’s likely to be a much longer stay on I.R. for the 19th overall pick. He suffered a torn ligament in his foot in the preseason finale. The Saints will start LT James Hurst and RT Ryan Ramczyk on their line.

This may be the best-case scenario for the Saints, as this had the looks of a long-term injury. Penning is still likely to miss time, with his Week 1 status against the Falcons looking in doubt. With LT James Hurst (foot) also sidelined, the health of the Saints’ offensive line is a concern going into the season.

It was initially believed Penning was dealing with a case of turf toe, but the MRI revealed more, and he needs surgery. Penning is now a candidate to open the season on I.R. or potentially miss the season entirely. The 19th overall pick back in April, Penning was pegged to open the year as the swing tackle behind LT James Hurst and RT Ryan Ramczyk.

Penning was injured on a goal-line run where TE Juwan Johnson crashed into the back of his legs. The first-round rookie limped off the field before getting carted off. The Saints would likely turn to James Hurst, who has been sidelined with a foot injury, if Penning misses time.

Another way to frame this is: journeyman backup lineman James Hurst was getting the first-team reps over first-round OT Trevor Penning. Hurst did play fairly well in pass protection last year, with a 76.9 PFF pass block grade in 516 pass blocking snaps. It’s way too early to use this to pass judgement on Penning, and this could just be a situation where the rookie passes up the vet later in camp, but it’s notable that Penning hasn’t earned a first-team spot yet.

Penning’s rookie deal is fully guaranteed and comes with a fifth-year option. He’ll receive $7.4 million as a signing bonus. The Saints took the Northern Iowa product with the 19th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to bolster an offensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as 2021’s 12th worst pass blocking unit and ninth worst run-blocking unit. The monstrous Penning (6’7/321) is known as a mauling tackle whose pass blocking improved throughout his time at Northern Iowa. He could be a mainstay on the Saints offensive line for years to come.

Penning (6’7/321) has seen quite a rise this past season. Opposite fellow mammoth tackle Spencer Brown in 2019, the pair provided a good pocket for the Panthers. A starter for his final three seasons, Penning was a mauler throughout. His pass blocking improved steadily each year, culminating with a PFF grade of 87.0 after his freshman season finished at a 68.1. His run blocking was average until this past year when he set a PFF record with a 99.9 season grade. Penning has a real nasty streak when blocking, trying to annihilate the defender rather than just winning the rep. That same nastiness that got him nominated for the Walter Payton Award (best FCS player) and a consensus FCS All-American was evident at the Senior Bowl all week. He needs to become more consistent in his pass sets from a technical standpoint, but with Terron Armstead making his way to Miami in free agency, Penning is line to start at left tackle for the Saints in Week 1.

Penning (6'7"/325) has been gaining a lot of steam since the Senior Bowl. and the Northern Iowa product is likely to be the first player taken from the FCS division. Easterling is hearing buzz that Penning is getting possible top 10 consideration and the Seahawks are a possible landing spot. We’ve believed Seattle would look to grab a quarterback after trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos, but they could look to improve one of the worse-rated offensive lines in the league last year. They could very well roll with Drew Lock being the starter this year or they could look for a QB later in the draft.