4 New Orleans Saints players with something to prove in 2026

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4 New Orleans Saints players with something to prove in 2026

John Sigler, Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Sun, Jul 26, 2026 ·

3 min read

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 14: Devin Neal #24 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with teammate Taliese Fuaga #75 after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Caesars Superdome on December 14, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Fuaga may have been a first-round pick, but he isn't being talked about the same way as his teammates like left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. or cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry . That's largely because of the injuries he sustained last season, but he had a couple of down games, too, against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 (giving up four pressures, including a sack) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8 (allowing five of them). Now that he's healthy and fully settled in on the right side, he's got to remind everyone that he's just as important to the team's success (now and in the long term) as those other guys.

Cesar Ruiz

Sep 19, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints center Cesar Ruiz (51) on the field in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Don't take our word for it -- Ruiz said as much in an April interview with Terron Armstead . He heard the criticism during a down year, saw the bad moments on film (like giving up four pressures against the Chicago Bears in Week 7), and attacked his offseason aiming to return to form. While Ruiz has had more rough seasons than good ones, he's still one of the younger players on the team (he just turned 27 in June), and he could have a bright future ahead of him if he's taken these lessons to heart. He's got to channel that energy into his craft.

Julian Blackmon

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA - JUNE 17: Julian Blackmon #23 and Terrell Burgess #26 of the New Orleans Saints take part in drills during mandatory mini camp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on June 17, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Shoulder injuries have become a major problem for Blackmon. He lost the 2025 season, his first with the Saints, after playing every defensive snap in their first game of the year without knowing he had torn his labrum. He tore it the year before, too, but managed to play through the pain without undergoing surgery. Now he's cleared and back in the starting lineup next to Justin Reid . He's got to prove his surgically-repaired shoulder can handle a full season of tackling in the NFL, and that he's the best player the Saints have over the top.

Ja'Lynn Polk

Polk was a dynamite slot receiver in college at Washington, but he was miscast in a bigger role with the New England Patriots after they drafted him early in the second round of the 2024 draft. Then they traded him for pennies on the dollar after last summer's training camp injury. Polk only has a dozen catches for 87 yards to his name, but the Saints could be a good spot for him to prove he wasn't the kind of draft bust Patriots fans have already written him off as.