One of the biggest ongoing stories from rookie minicamp and organized team activities is Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning swapping positions. The Saints first round pick is a career right tackle who has been moved to left tackle this season and vice versa for Penning. The decision has been framed as gathering information, but it feels like a concrete decision for Penning.
Penning described the move as a fresh start when speaking with local media on Tuesday: “It’s a fresh start. It’s a whole new offense, new side of the line. Kind of flushed the past almost, learned from the past, move on. That’s kind of what I’ve gotten out of it. Fresh start, yeah.”
This is how offensive line coach John Benton described the move almost verbatim, having said it was always the plan. Penning added that an offseason conversation with Dennis Allen laid out the vision for his path forward in March. If he takes advantage of this fresh start, Penning is in line to be the team’s next starting right tackle.
“It’s not as much as you would probably think. Because the whole offseason we train, when I’m down in Frisco with Duke Manyweather, we train both sides. So it’s already kind of, I’ve been there (at right tackle) already. We work on that down there fifty-fifty. So it’s not too much of a change.”
It’s a move Penning has prepared for this offseason. That offseason training has made the transition during OTAs more seamless. Outside of his own transition, Penning praised the new scheme for leaning into the offensive line’s athleticism. Now that he’s healthy and getting a full offseason’s worth of work in, he’s eager to show what he’s learned.
