Taliese Fuaga was the 2024 first-round pick for the New Orleans Saints, and there were a ton of expectations for him heading into his rookie year. After all, the offensive line was a point of concern for this team in 2023 and throughout the offseason. With Week 1 now in the books, it’s safe to say that Fuaga looks like he could be every bit as good as we were hoping.
Taliese Fuaga Is EXACTLY What The Saints NEEDED
The Saints gave the starting left tackle job to Fuaga straight away and were hoping that he’d shore up an offensive line that was missing key editions. The most notable was that all-pro right tackle Ryan Ramczyk was ruled out for the season with a knee injury, and it’s something that could end his football career as we know it. This team needed positive news up front, and Fuaga delivered.
One thing that was noticeable throughout the Saints’ dominance against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, was that Fuaga was moving people left and right for the run game to pop open. The team ran the ball 37 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns, averaging just under five yards per carry. This was a big issue for this team last year, and if Fuaga and the rest of this group can deliver results like this, the Saints will be a tough team to beat.
ESPN’s Seth Walder stated that Fuaga had the best pass block win rate amongst all other rookie tackles in the NFL, with a 94 percent win rate. He also didn’t allow a single pressure all game, the best by any lineman. When asked about his performance, he not only said that he needed a few plays to get settled in, but he believes that it was overall a solid showing for him. He added that Derrek Carr was like a father figure out on the field, helping the entire offensive line out with their own responsibilities.
The Future Isn’t Easy
All in all, Fuaga was just another bright spot in an overall great week for the New Orleans Saints. Hopefully, he can keep that trend moving forward when the Saints meet with the Dallas Cowboys. This will be one of their toughest tests, with Dallas featuring Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence on that defensive line. And past that, the Saints will also face Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs, and the entire dominant pass rush for the Philadelphia Eagles just in the next few weeks.