Saints Projected to Make Blockbuster Trade Before 2026 Season

The New Orleans Saints rounded out their 2025 season at the bottom of the NFC South with a 6-11 record, so they’re working towards what’s hopefully a better 2026 for the franchise.

During the offseason, the Saints have made some major changes, such as signing of ex-Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. and moving responsibility away from veteran Alvin Kamara.

Now, the team is being encouraged to make another big move. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report has released a feature where he names one blockbuster trade each franchise should make before the 2026 season starts. “We could get more transactional fireworks this summer, or at least see moves that we expected teams to make, like the Brown deal, before final roster cuts on August 30,” he states.

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For the Saints, Moton would like them to trade right guard Cesar Ruiz.

“As a first-rounder from the 2020 draft, Cesar Ruiz has been mediocre on the interior of the New Orleans Saints‘ offensive line,” he notes in the piece. “Ruiz has drawn criticism for his subpar run-blocking ability. He’s also missed seven games over the last two years.”

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The Saints picked Jeremiah Wright in the fourth round of the NFL draft, so they certain have the room to trade Ruiz. As Moton points out, it would save $9.5 million in cap space if the Saints find a team that wants Ruiz, and that would also make the deal sweeter.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:06 PM.