The Saints have lost another piece of interior offensive line depth with center Will Clapp joining guard Nick Saldiveri on season-ending injured reserve, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
Clapp, 29, is dealing with a Lisfranc injury, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He was listed as the Saints’ second-team center on their unofficial depth chart; now, New Orleans will have to find a new backup to Erik McCoy.
The job will likely fall to veteran Shane Lemieux, who recently re-signed with the Saints after Saldiveri’s knee injury. Lemieux, currently listed as the backup right guard, started four games as the team’s center in 2024. A majority of his experience prior to arriving in New Orleans last year came as a left guard for the Giants, making the 28-year-old a valuable multi-positional backup for the 2025 season.
Clapp’s injury could also help second-year UDFA and third-team center Kyle Hergel make the 53-man roster. Even if Lemieux holds down the backup center role, his potential to be needed at guard may keep Hergel around as an emergency center.
The Saints also worked out a number of veteran offensive linemen, according to Underhill. including Cody Whitehair, Scott Quessenberry, and Nick Harris. However, New Orleans decided to sign a less experienced option in Mike Panasiuk, who also tried out on Tuesday. Panasiuk, 27, spent time with the Raiders, Panthers, and Colts as a defensive tackle before converting to center last year, but has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Clapp, meanwhile, will spend the season rehabbing his foot. Lisfranc injuries are notoriously tricky to recover from, so shutting him down this early in the year should give him a chance at getting back on the field in time for the 2026 season.
The seven-year veteran is in his second stint with the Saints after starting his NFL career in New Orleans as a seventh-round pick in 2018. He started seven games across his first four years with the Saints before signing with the Chargers in 2022 to back up center Corey Linsley. Clapp took over the starting job when Linsley stepped away from the field due to a health issue, but ended the season on the IR with a knee injury. The Chargers went in a different direction when replacing Linsley in the offseason, and Clapp signed with the Bills ahead of the 2024 season. He didn’t appear in a game until Week 18, when he started at right guard and played every snap.
In addition to placing Clapp on the IR, the Saints also waived tight end Mason Pline with an injury designation, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. With a third spot opened by waiving injured wide receiver Chris Tyree, New Orleans signed tight end Seth Green, defensive tackle Jayden Peevy, and wide receiver Roderick Daniels, per Terrell.