New Orleans Saints right guard Cesar Ruiz will have an MRI on his injured knee before the team settles in France, leaving his status uncertain for the Saints’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Stade de France on Sunday, October 25.
Ruiz got hurt in the first half of Sunday’s 34-27 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, a homecoming of sorts for a lineman who grew up in Camden, New Jersey. He had been on the field for 29 snaps when he went to the locker room. The club listed him as questionable to return at 2:43 p.m. EDT and later ruled him out for the rest of the afternoon.
Cesar Ruiz (knee) is questionable to return to today's game. @Saints
— New Orleans Saints PR (@SaintsPR) October 18, 2026
Head coach Kellen Moore did not offer a diagnosis after the game. He said the team wanted the scan done as fast as possible, conceding that the trip abroad complicates the timing, and added that Ruiz “was moving around okay in the locker room.”
A rookie, and a running game, step in
Jeremiah Wright, a fourth-round pick in April, took over at right guard and stayed there for the final 43 snaps. New Orleans ran better with him in the lineup. Matthew Paras noted that the Saints gained 40 yards on nine carries with Ruiz on the field and 135 yards on 29 carries after he left; counting only the running backs, the split was 31 yards on eight attempts against 112 on 25.
Here were the Saints' run splits with and without Cesar Ruiz against the Giants:
With: Nine attempts for 40 yards (4.4 YPC)
Without: 29 attempts for 135 yards (4.7 YPC)Isolate to just running backs and it's a split of 8-31 (3.9) and 25-112 (4.5).
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) October 19, 2026
New Orleans finished with 175 rushing yards on 38 carries, its running game carried by Kendre Miller’s 70 yards on 20 runs. If Ruiz cannot go next week, Wright is next in line at the position.
Ruiz, a 2020 first-round pick, has remained the Saints’ starter at right guard.
The rest of the Saints’ health picture
Ruiz was not the only player who left early. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry exited with an illness. Quarterback Tyler Shough again played with a fractured hand, the one he does not throw with, which he first hurt in the Week 4 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He threw three touchdown passes and ran for another without an interception, and he has practiced fully since he was hurt, so his availability for Paris is not in question.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and lifted New Orleans to 2-4. The full scoring and box score are on the Saints vs. Giants Game Center, and the game recap covers how the Saints built a 34-10 lead.
What comes next
The Saints play the Steelers at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday, October 25, at 9:30 a.m. EDT. The first practice report of the week should show whether Ruiz is able to work, and the MRI result will decide whether Wright gets the start. Follow every update on the WhyNFL injury page.
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