- May 21, 2026
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The Saints didn't make the playoffs in 2025, but their play in the second half of head coach Kellen Moore's first season in New Orleans created some positive buzz heading into the 2026 season.
That buzz only extended to certain players, however, and right guard Cesar Ruiz was not one of them. Ruiz was a frequent target for criticism from the team's fans and General Manager Mickey Loomis said the team needs more out of a player he drafted in the first round in 2020.
Ruiz has heard all of it and he said "challenge accepted" in regard to his approach to the coming season.
“I got a lot of disrespect,” Ruiz said, via Matthew Paras of NOLA.com. “And ultimately, I’m not a guy who goes into his turtle shell and blames the world for what’s going on. You’ve got to go figure out how to change the narrative and how to go out there and make it happen. So that’s what I’m doing and I’ve made it happen.”
The Saints drafted guard Jeremiah Wright in the fourth round this year, so a failure to change the narrative may mean someone else gets a starring role in the next Saints production.
That buzz only extended to certain players, however, and right guard Cesar Ruiz was not one of them. Ruiz was a frequent target for criticism from the team's fans and General Manager Mickey Loomis said the team needs more out of a player he drafted in the first round in 2020.
Ruiz has heard all of it and he said "challenge accepted" in regard to his approach to the coming season.
“I got a lot of disrespect,” Ruiz said, via Matthew Paras of NOLA.com. “And ultimately, I’m not a guy who goes into his turtle shell and blames the world for what’s going on. You’ve got to go figure out how to change the narrative and how to go out there and make it happen. So that’s what I’m doing and I’ve made it happen.”
The Saints drafted guard Jeremiah Wright in the fourth round this year, so a failure to change the narrative may mean someone else gets a starring role in the next Saints production.