Saints 'preparing' to be without former All-Pro in 2024

It's the time of year when players typically focus on returning to full health following the long and grueling NFL season. However, the Saints received bad news about one of their players on Tuesday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, New Orleans is "preparing for the real possibility" that former All-Pro offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk will be medically unable to play during the 2024 season.

It comes as quite a surprise after head coach Dennis Allen said Ramczyk was doing better at the NFL Scouting Combine a few weeks ago. His tone quickly changed when he told reporters at the annual league meeting that Ramczyk's availability "remains to be seen."

Ramcyzk underwent surgery this offseason to repair the knee injury that forced him to miss five games last season. It seemed successful at first, but things have since taken a turn.

"A few weeks ago, I was feeling a lot better about it, and yet I don't know that I'm seeing as much progress as I was hoping to see at this point," Allen added. "We're just going to have to wait and see how that all goes as we go through all the offseason and as we get into the training camp aspect."

Allen didn't reveal if Ramcyzk will need another surgery, which would likely have him unavailable at least at the beginning of the 2024 season. But his mood has clearly changed, and rightfully so, as losing Ramcyzk would be a big blow to the Saints' offensive line.

Ramcyzk has been one of the best offensive tackles since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2017. He allowed just four sacks on 785 snaps played last season, per Pro Football Focus.

What the future holds for the 29-year-old remains up for debate, but Allen is finding some comfort in the fact that there is plenty of time left in the offseason to figure it out.

"There's [a] long time before we kick the ball off," Allen finished. "I wouldn't jump to any conclusions right now, but we'll see how it goes over the next three, four, five, six months — whatever it is — before we get to the season."