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We are down to a 77-day countdown before the New Orleans Saints take the field for their 2026 regular season opener. The Saints will be on the road to start their year, playing at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Currently wearing No. 77 for the team is offensive lineman Dillon Radunz, in his second year with New Orleans.
An NFL veteran in his sixth season, Radunz saw extensive playing time in 2025 because of injuries on the offensive line. Competition has been added to his position this offseason, but we put that aside for a moment and take a look at him as our Saints Player of the Day.
At Becker High School in Minnesota, Radunz was an all-state selection in football and broke his school's record in the shot put. He'd take those skills to North Dakota State, a dominant FCS program. With the Bison, Radunz missed most of his freshman year with a knee injury. He'd rebound to be an all-conference choice in each of the next three years as the Bison won three consecutive FCS championships. In 2019, Radunz also received 1st Team FCS All-American accolades.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced North Dakota State to cancel all but one of their games in 2020. Despite that, Radunz still performed well in postseason and pre-draft workouts. It was enough to convince the Tennessee Titans to select him with the 21st selection in Round 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Radunz played in 12 games and started one at left tackle. He'd see even more playing time in 2022, making four starts at tackle in his 11 games and appearing in nearly 50% of Tennessee's offensive snaps. Moving to guard in 2023, Radunz started 11 of his 16 games played with 79% of the offensive snaps. He was a fixture at right guard in 2024, starting 15 games and playing 95% of the Titans offensive snaps.
New Orleans brought Radunz in on a one-year contract during the 2025 offseason. It was thought that he'd provide quality depth at both guard spots. Instead, injuries and poor play up front pushed him into extensive duty. Radunz played in 15 games, making 10 starts. The majority of those were at left guard for a line that struggled along the inside all season. Radunz would play 699 offensive snaps, 71% of the team's total on that side of the ball, along with 65 additional snaps on the special teams units.
This offseason, the Saints re-signed Radunz to a two-year contract extension. However, David Edwards was also added in free agency and is widely accepted to be the starter at left guard. Radunz will have to compete against some other additions for a backup role. However, his starting experience and ability to play both guard positions should provide valuable and quality depth for the offensive line.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Dillon Radunz is the Saints Player of Day 77
Continue reading...
An NFL veteran in his sixth season, Radunz saw extensive playing time in 2025 because of injuries on the offensive line. Competition has been added to his position this offseason, but we put that aside for a moment and take a look at him as our Saints Player of the Day.
- Name (age): Dillon Radunz (28)
- Hometown: Becker, Minn.
- Position: Offensive guard
- Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 301 pounds
- College: North Dakota State Bison
- Relative Athletic Score: 9.38
- Drafted: Round 2, 53rd overall in 2021 (Tennessee Titans)
- NFL experience: 5 years
- 2026 salary cap hit: $2.45 million
At Becker High School in Minnesota, Radunz was an all-state selection in football and broke his school's record in the shot put. He'd take those skills to North Dakota State, a dominant FCS program. With the Bison, Radunz missed most of his freshman year with a knee injury. He'd rebound to be an all-conference choice in each of the next three years as the Bison won three consecutive FCS championships. In 2019, Radunz also received 1st Team FCS All-American accolades.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced North Dakota State to cancel all but one of their games in 2020. Despite that, Radunz still performed well in postseason and pre-draft workouts. It was enough to convince the Tennessee Titans to select him with the 21st selection in Round 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Radunz played in 12 games and started one at left tackle. He'd see even more playing time in 2022, making four starts at tackle in his 11 games and appearing in nearly 50% of Tennessee's offensive snaps. Moving to guard in 2023, Radunz started 11 of his 16 games played with 79% of the offensive snaps. He was a fixture at right guard in 2024, starting 15 games and playing 95% of the Titans offensive snaps.
New Orleans brought Radunz in on a one-year contract during the 2025 offseason. It was thought that he'd provide quality depth at both guard spots. Instead, injuries and poor play up front pushed him into extensive duty. Radunz played in 15 games, making 10 starts. The majority of those were at left guard for a line that struggled along the inside all season. Radunz would play 699 offensive snaps, 71% of the team's total on that side of the ball, along with 65 additional snaps on the special teams units.
This offseason, the Saints re-signed Radunz to a two-year contract extension. However, David Edwards was also added in free agency and is widely accepted to be the starter at left guard. Radunz will have to compete against some other additions for a backup role. However, his starting experience and ability to play both guard positions should provide valuable and quality depth for the offensive line.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Dillon Radunz is the Saints Player of Day 77
Continue reading...
