New Orleans Saints and Wisconsin Badgers fans waited for months on the availability of elite right tackle Ryan Ramczyk. As previously discussed on Gridiron Heroics, Ramczyk has dealt with a cartilage defect in his left knee for the past three seasons. He underwent surgery near the end of February.
The surgery was initially successful, as Dennis Allen told reporters during the NFL Scouting Combine that Ramczyk was progressing nicely and expected him to be ready for training camp. Unfortunately, things took a shocking turn when Allen revealed in March that he wasn’t recovering as hoped. Many reporters believed he would miss the 2024 season.
Ramczyk, as many anticipated, missed offseason workouts, and fans waited on his availability for training camp, hoping he could play in 2024. Rookies reported to camp last Tuesday, and veterans will report next Tuesday. It doesn’t look good.
The New Orleans Saints announced a devastating injury update
According to Ian Rapoport, the Saints officially placed Ryan Ramczyk on the reserve/PUP list yesterday, on July 18. Since Ramczyk is a veteran, he will miss the entire 2024 season, which is a devastating blow to an already thin offensive line. Many speculate that he might retire.
Clarity on #Saints OT Ryan Ramczyk, via the NFL rules: He is now out for the season, officially, after being placed on reserve/PUP today.
Why? A vested veteran placed on Reserve/PUP prior to the final roster reduction is out for the season. Players placed on Reserve/PUP at the…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 18, 2024
We will discuss his possible replacement and the processing of his retirement (if he does retire).
Who will replace Ryan Ramczyk at RT in 2024?
The Saints have an offensive tackle dilemma and need an upgrade at both positions. James Hurst, who started 15 games at LT in 2022 and one in 2023, retired, and Andrus Peat, who started 11 games there in 2023, signed with the Raiders this offseason.
Trevor Penning, who played LT in college and his first two seasons in the NFL, hasn’t panned out so far in the league, and they don’t feel comfortable with him there. They would draft a tackle in the first round.
The Saints drafted Taliese Fuaga 14th overall. Fuaga played RT in college. Given the importance of left tackle, they have given him plenty of reps on the left side and plan on starting him there in his rookie season. Penning converted to RT and has received first-team reps there, hoping he will capitalize on the fresh start.
Fuaga might struggle on the left side in his rookie season as it might take time to adapt to a new position. They should be fine if Penning has a decent season and he will be under less pressure on the right side.
What will a Ryan Ramczky retirement look like?
If Ryan Ramczyk does retire, he will retire in 2025 because the Saints don’t have much cap space now and are already in cap hell for next offseason. He also has a dead cap hit of $35.35 million that will spread over two years because June 1 has passed. They would incur a dead cap hit of $12.29 million for 2024 and $23.06 million for 2025. If he retires in 2025, the Saints have a few options for accounting purposes.
The first option is to process his retirement as a pre-June 1st cut designation, meaning the cap savings are immediate, but his dead cap will accelerate into 2025. They will save $6.01 million but incur a dead cap hit of $23.06 million for 2025.
The second option is to process his retirement as a post-June 1st cut designation, meaning the cap savings are not immediate until June 2, and his dead cap hit of $23.06 million will spread for two seasons instead of one. They will save $18 million but incur a dead cap hit of $11.08 million for 2025 and $11.98 million for 2026.
All information regarding cap savings and dead cap came from Over The Cap.
Ryan Ramczyk had a great career. It would be a shame if he did retire and his career was cut short.
