The Saints spent a premium pick on Kelvin Banks Jr. to keep their quarterback upright. They'll now spend the next several weeks figuring out how to do it without him.
Banks will have surgery on a high ankle sprain and is out indefinitely, coach Kellen Moore said Monday. The left tackle was carted off during New Orleans' Week 2 win over Baltimore. No return timeline was offered, and anyone who gives you one is guessing: high ankle sprains involve the syndesmosis, the ligament structure that holds the tibia and fibula together, and once a surgeon goes in, the calendar is written by swelling and weight-bearing tests, not by the schedule.
The timing is brutal given how clean Tyler Shough looked in that win. He went 27-of-34 for 252 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, a 107.4 passer rating. Chris Olave caught 8 passes for 86 yards and a score. That's the version of the offense the Saints want to keep building, and it was built with a first-round tackle guarding the blind side.
Left tackle has carried a price premium for a generation, and the reason is exactly this. The quarterback can't see it. When protection breaks down on the left, the hit arrives unannounced, and the ball comes out early or not at all.
So what does New Orleans do? Three paths, and only one of them is good. Promote the backup swing tackle and live with it. Slide a guard outside, which rarely survives a full game against a speed rusher. Or go sign a veteran who has played 500 NFL snaps at the position, accepting that he's available in late September for a reason.
My verdict: the Saints should sign the veteran and keep their interior line intact. Moving a guard to tackle creates two problems instead of one, and Shough is too important to the next three years to spend October running for his life. I'd also expect Banks to land on injured reserve, which would end his regular season and leave the door open for a late return if New Orleans is still playing in January. That's the bet I'd make.
