Getting most out of the offensive line room should be mandatory for Saints

Most of the writers and commentators in the Saints space are leaning into the hype of drafting Jeremiyah Love, as they should. It drives traffic and offensive weapons are exciting and a football enthusiasts wet dream.

However, before we get there I want to throw some numbers at you.

25 - That's the average age of the offensive line, 24.8 once Erik McCoy was lost for season

14 - The number of games Erik McCoy has played in out of 34.

47 - The number of sacks Tyler Shough would have taken in over 17 games.

The latter is a problem considering Tyler Shough's injury history and propensity to hold the ball. If the Saints plan to take a step next year and compete for more than the division, keeping Shough upright is an absolute must and it all runs through the offensive line.

Youth on the OL can be a strength, especially when you have an aging QB that can get the ball out quickly to mitigate the rush and or cover up mistakes.

It can also show up as a weakness because they haven't played enough football.

Erik McCoy (28) is the elder of the group, he's their leader, but when he goes down Cesar Ruiz (26) is the next man up.

The Saints need a general, or a lieutenant that acts as an extra anchor. A veteran over (30) that has shown sustained success and availability. There's a ton of upside on the OL, gorgeous ceiling, but the floor must be raised.

A name I've seen mentioned is steelers Isaac Seumalo. He's (32) and coming off a good season, but I want to bring attention to a another player.

Browns free agent left guard Joel Bitonio.

He's (34) and obviously not a long term solution but he's an iron man.

Bitonio's only missed (2) games since 2021, and (8) since 2017. You can put his availability up there with Cam Jordan and Demario Davis.

While Seumalo (76.4) had a better pass blocking grade than Bitonio (75.7) per PFF, what separates Bitonio is his size (6'4 320) compared to Seumalo (6'4 404), and his true pass set grade.

Seumalo true pass set was a (57.8), while Bitonio managed a (71.1).

Having a player in Bitonio that can handle his own as a pass blocker could allow protections to be rotated toward helping Ruiz. Combining his addition with a mid round guard to be an understudy and or competition for Ruiz would be an ideal approach.

The focus on pass blocking and not run blocking would aid Tyler Shough's development.

Second year QB's usually take a leap with pocket manipulation, but development can be halted if they don't trust the pocket, creating more bad habits than general interceptions ever will.

Adding toys for Shough is important, but a focus on stabilizing the offensive line first would have the biggest effect on the run and passing game and any players added to boost it.