Trevor Penning is entering a make-or-break season with the New Orleans Saints, so he turned to a former franchise standout for help.
Entering the 2024 season, it’s pretty clear offensive lineman Trevor Penning is on his last chance with the New Orleans Saints. Drafted in the first round in 2022, Penning’s first two years in the league have not gone as expected. The hopes were that he’d be the team’s left tackle for years to come, but now that’s the hope for 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga.
Penning, however, who didn’t start as a rookie, and was benched after five starts in year two, has moved over to right tackle. This move was made out of necessity, as Ryan Ramczyk will miss the entire season with a knee injury, but it also gives Penning a fresh start in a sense.
As he spent the offseason getting prepared for this new position, Penning turned to a former Saints staple for help. He revealed to the media he spent the offseason working with current Miami Dolphins tackle Terron Armstead. Penning said the two worked a lot on technique and the mental approach to the game.
Trevor Penning said he spent time this offseason working with Terron Armstead, a lot of work on technique and the mental approach to the game. #Saints
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) July 29, 2024
Trevor Penning worked with Terron Armstead to prepare for 2024 season
Before signing with the Dolphins in 2022, Armstead spent the first nine years of his career in New Orleans, after being drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. In New Orleans, he became an elite left tackle in the league, making three Pro Bowls while with the team.
The offseason he left the Saints is the same offseason the team drafted Penning, hoping that he’d be able to replace Armstead. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. However, Armstead is still being a helping hand to the franchise, trying to help the young Penning develop.
The season will let us know if the work with the five-time Pro Bowler paid off; the Saints sure will be hoping that it did. Penning needs to have a good season for the sake of his career, but New Orleans needs him to have a good year for the sake of the team’s season. If the offensive line isn’t solid, the Saints won’t go far.
