The New Orleans Saints may have not escaped their win over the New York Giants unscathed. Veteran right guard Cesar Ruiz exited the game early and will undergo imaging before the team flies overseas to France, which may put his status in doubt for next week's game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris.
Ruiz left for the locker room after 29 plays and was initially questionable to return with a knee injury, but the Saints ruled him out half an hour later. Rookie fourth-round pick Jeremiah Wright filled in for him on the final 43 plays. Is the team worried about a serious injury for him?
"We'll see," head coach Kellen Moore started. "You know, he'll get the MRI, you know, to see, this could be (a) logistics (challenge) so I think he'll try to get an MRI as quickly as possible before we get out to Paris. So we'll collect as much information as we can. He was moving around okay in the locker room, so, we'll see."
Fans have been after Ruiz for years, identifying him as the weak link in an underperforming offensive line ever since he was drafted back in 2020. He's remained a starter but never has truly felt like a difference-maker at right guard, leading to calls for Wright to replace him. Those fans got their wish on Sunday and watched as an offense that couldn't run all year picked up 175 yards on the ground. If Ruiz can't play next week, Wright would have a huge opportunity to earn a starting job coming out of the bye week. It's something to keep an eye on in the days ahead.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Kellen Moore shares update on Saints guard Cesar Ruiz injury