Training camp is well underway for the New Orleans Saints, and with that, we have a chance to look at both new players and those who have been on the team for a long time. With this, all players get a chance to prepare for the NFL preseason and regular season, and those newer players get a chance to prove themselves worthy of a roster spot. However, those who have already solidified their spot use this time as a period to get back into the scheme of things.
One player who has now been delegated with veteran status is right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who is now entering his seventh season with the Saints. The former protector of legendary quarterback Drew Brees now looks to continue his impressive streak of great seasons protecting Derek Carr. Ramczyk has been a staple of a New Orleans offensive line that has been between good and great for the large majority of his career, and that is in large part due to his success. This lands him at No. 4 on our list of the top 25 most important Saints entering 2023. In this series we take a look at the following topics for each of the members in the top 25:
- Recap of their 2022 season
- Projecting their 2023 success
- What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?
Firstly, let’s get a look at some background information for Ryan Ramczyk to get an idea of who he is on paper.
Background
Position: Right tackle
Age: 29
Experience: 7th season
2023 cap hit: $11,105,321
2022 Recap
While Ryan Ramczyk did not necessarily have his best season in 2022, by no means did he have a bad or even below average season. On the year he took 936 snaps according to Pro Football Focus, allowing three sacks, 20 pressures, and had four penalties (three false starts and one holding penalty).
What gets more intriguing is how he finished the season, as he did not give up a sack from week seven onwards, and did not give up a pressure from week 12 onwards. On top of that, he was also not penalized from week 13 on. While he did miss week 14 with an injury, he was exceptional both right before and after that. In terms of opponents faced during this span, he saw:
- Week 12: San Francisco 49ers (Nick Bosa)
- Week 13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Week 15: Atlanta Falcons
- Week 16: Cleveland Browns (Myles Garrett)
- Week 17: Philadelphia Eagles (Haason Reddick)
In three out of the final five games he faced an elite or very high level defensive end/edge, and was able to not be beaten nearly whatsoever during that span of time. This is the mark of a top tier offensive tackle, and Ryan Ramczyk stood up to the test down the stretch of the season.
2023 Outlook
In terms of 2023 outlook, it is somewhat a split decision for Ramczyk. On one hand, he was one of the best if not the best offensive tackle from week seven onwards this past season. On the other hand, the couple injuries being picked up in the last few seasons may spell trouble, which we will talk about in the next section.
In the games Ramczyk has played in, he has never taken less than a cumulative 95% of snaps in a season, and only once has he missed the 900 snap mark in a season (2021 — only played ten games). Odds are we will get to see a healthy dosage of him, and since he did only miss one game last season that is a good sign as to his health cooperating with him again. Overall his penalties were about average for a season of his, his sack numbers were about the same as his normal, and his pressures allowed were actually down compared to his average. This bodes well for his 2023 outlook, as we can expect a high quality performance from him based on these numbers.
Big question: Can Ramczyk stay healthy and continue his success?
One of the things that has started to pop up with Ryan Ramczyk is his injuries, which while not typically severe, are a little more common now than previously. In 2021 we saw a knee injury in week 10 that knocked him out for seven weeks, and then in 2022 we saw a hip and elbow strain on separate occasions that held him out for a week.
While this is not detrimental or extremely concerning at all, and has clearly not affected his play, it is worth keeping an eye on this season. He will be asked to handle a lot which is typical considering his level of play, so keeping him healthy is critical to the success of the team as well.
