Cardinals preseason game is Trevor Penning's toughest challenge yet

You don’t think of the first preseason game as a big hurdle for many players, but Saturday night’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals is the toughest challenge yet for Trevor Penning. He needs a strong start after a rocky first few years — even in this exhibition game.

Penning’s summer has gone reasonably well to this point given his move to a new position, having slid to the right side after almost exclusively playing left tackle. But he’s coming off his worst day of practice at Saints training camp after Chase Young closed team drills by sacking Derek Carr three times in a row, beating Penning each time.

That makes the cautious optimism Dennis Alllen has expressed look a little more questionable in hindsight. It casts doubt on Penning’s own assurances that he’s more comfortable in his new role. If he’s going to rewrite the narrative being spun about his career, it’ll start with a strong performance in Arizona.

Expect him to get a lot of work. Penning was one of seven Saints players to log more than 100 snaps on offense back in 2022 (he ranked fifth on the team with 113 snaps, and he would’ve had more if not for being injured by friendly fire in a collision with Juwan Johnson). He recorded just 38 snaps during the 2023 preseason, but that’s when he was locked in to start at left tackle. The situation has changed in a big way.

So what if he flounders? The Saints don’t have any great options at replacing him. Olisaemeka Udoh is competing at both right tackle and left guard, but his starting experience has come at mainly at right guard in the NFL. Landon Young is working at both tackle spots and his game tape on the right side isn’t very encouraging. Would the Saints have to move Taliese Fuaga back to right tackle, undoing all of his work this summer on the left side, and put someone else there?

It’s concerning either way. The best outcome is for Penning to gain his footing and play well at right tackle. He’s had some nice moments at training camp. He’s also had some bad days. Let’s see if he can turn things around on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on FOX affiliates in and around Louisiana.