When the New Orleans Saints take the field for their season opener against the Buccaneers on Sunday (Sept. 9) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, they likely will do so with seven or eight offensive linemen on their active roster.
That, of course, means they will not have a designated backup for each of the five positions along the offensive line. A big part of finding the right 53 -- or, on game day, the right 46 -- is identifying the players along the offensive line who can play multiple spots.
"If a player in the offensive line can't go," said Saints coach Sean Payton, "then part of being the sixth, seventh or eighth offensive lineman is what kind of flexibility can you bring to the position?