Saints finally admit massive NFL Draft mistake by trading former first-round pick to AFC right before the trade deadline
It never worked out for him in New Orleans.
The Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints have made a buzzer beater deal. The Saints are moving on from a failed experiment along their offensive line. At the same time, the Chargers are attempting to address a need with a lucky dart throw of a move.
Saints trade Trevor Penning to Chargers at deadline
According to reports, the Saints have traded offensive lineman Trevor Penning to the Chargers in exchange for a 2027 6th-round selection. It’s a deal that sees a former first-rounder head west to try to help the offensive line in LA after some horrific injury luck.
The Saints selected Penning with the 19th pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Since then, he has dealt with a plethora of injuries and played three different positions for New Orleans. Unfortunately, he never stuck at any of the three in the long-term.
“With Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt both out for the season, Trey Pipkins III and Bobby Hart are atop the Chargers’ depth chart at offensive tackle. It appears that Penning will now enter this mix despite playing guard for the Saints this season. If he can get up to speed quickly, he could become a starter, most likely on the right side.” — Nick Roesch, A to Z Sports
It was a failed experiment along the OL for New Orleans
2022, Penning’s first season in the pros, was cut massively short due to a turf toe issue. Then, in 2023 when given another starting opportunity, he struggled badly and was benched. Last season was his most productive, playing right tackle, but penalties and overall inconsistency still peppered his performances enough that the Saints picked Kelvin Banks Jr. with their first pick in this year’s draft.
With that, Penning moved to guard in hopes that his power and tenacity would translate. Instead, he has been one of the worst offensive lineman in the NFC. The interior of the OL, as a whole, has been a massive issue for New Orleans all season long.
Penning ranks 50th out of 59 guards (50% snaps) across the NFL with an overall blocking grade of 50.4 this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He was not impressive in neither the pass nor the run game for the Saints.
The Saints declined to pick up Penning’s fifth-year option this past offseason, so he was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming offseason. With no long-term ties, it didn’t make sense for the Saints to hold out hope for improvement any longer. Instead, they grab a late round draft pick to hopefully find a hidden gem or role player down the road.
Penning joins the likes of first-rounders like Payton Turner and Marcus Davenport as massive first-round busts in recent years for New Orleans. None of those three ever found their footing with the Saints, and the prior two haven’t made notable impacts with their fresh starters elsewhere, either. We will see if Penning can adjust that trend.
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