According to Nick Underhill of neworleans.football, the New Orleans Saints have signed two experienced offensive linemen, Shane Lemieux and Justin Herron.
Lemieux, who turns 27 on May 12, has played in the NFL for four seasons. He attended Oregon University, where he was a guard for one of the most effective offenses in the country, earning back-to-back Pac 12 first-team honors and a 1st-team All-American honor in 2019.
The New York Giants selected Lemieux with the fifth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he won the starting left tackle role midway through the season, and he finished 2020 with 12 game appearances and nine starts. Lemieux was sidelined for the rest of the 2021 season after only one game due to a knee injury.
Lemieux was struck by the injury bug again in 2022. A turf toe injury kept him out of all but one game. Lemieux sustained a torn biceps early last year, terminating his season after just four games.
The New England Patriots selected Herron, 28, in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft from Wake Forest. During his first two years with the Patriots, he appeared in 28 games at guard, starting 10 of them. Herron has spent the past two years with the Las Vegas Raiders. He has only participated in seven games with the Raiders, starting once.
The offensive line remains a major issue for New Orleans. lowest year, the Saints ranked 21st in running yardage, finished lowest in average per carry, and struggled with pass protection for the most of the season.
Starting LG. James Hurst retired soon before this year’s draft. Trevor Penning, a first-round pick in 2022, was benched after six games last season due to poor performance and remains a major question mark. Veteran guard Andrus Peat, who succeeded Penning, and guard Trai Turner are both free agents. Ryan Ramczyk, the team’s starting right tackle, is suffering with a degenerative knee problem, which is jeopardizing both his season and future.
Last Thursday, the Saints used their first-round choice to select Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga. They also drafted Eastern Kentucky OT Josiah Ezirim in the seventh round and signed former Vikings G/T Olisaemeka Udoh in free agency.
