More than a few New Orleans Saints have griped about Ryan Ramczyk after a down year in 2022, but the Saints’ right tackle is still very highly regarded at Pro Football Focus, where Gordon McGuinness ranked the top 32 offensive tackles in the NFL. Ramczyk has done well for himself since being picked in the first round out of Wisconsin and converting to a different position after starting his career at left tackle, and PFF ranked him the No. 11 offensive tackle around the league, writing:
We’ve probably already seen the peak of Ramczyk’s career, but the 29-year-old’s floor is still likely a top-five right tackle in 2023. Across six NFL seasons, his PFF pass-blocking and run-blocking grades have yet to drop below 70.0.
Among his fellow right tackles, Ramczyk placed behind Lane Johnson (No. 2 overall), Tristan Wirfs (No. 7), and Penei Sewell (No. 10). It’s tough to argue with Johnson and Wirfs, and Sewell is already playing as well as entrenched veterans so early in his own career. It’s not entirely a bad thing that Ramczyk is ranked lower than others when his competition is performing at such a high level.
But that’s not to say there aren’t things he can improve upon. Ramczyk’s durability has become a concern with shoulder, elbow, and knee injuries stacking up and limiting his practice availability during the season. Those ailments have also limited him to just 936 and 653 snaps on offense in each of the last two years. He needs to prove he can stay on the field and be an asset for this offense. Whether he’s preparing differently in the offseason or taking more precautions in training, this is something that should be an area of focus for Ramczyk and the Saints medical staff over the summer.
