Saints hold OL workouts with Cornelius Lucas, Cody Ford as Kelvin Banks recovers
New Orleans hosted free-agent offensive-line tryouts a day after losing standout left tackle Kelvin Banks to surgery, with veteran tackles Cornelius Lucas and Cody Ford among the group as the club weighs adding depth
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The Saints are still shoring up their offensive line after the loss of left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., holding free-agent workouts on Tuesday that included veteran tackles Cornelius Lucas and Cody Ford.
Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN): The Saints held free agent offensive linemen workouts today. The group included Cornelius Lucas and Cody Ford, per sources. New Orleans could add a tackle after the injury to left tackle Kelvin Banks.
Banks, one of the league's promising young tackles, was carted off in New Orleans' Week 3 loss to Las Vegas and the team confirmed he would need surgery for a severe high-ankle sprain, ruling him out indefinitely with a chance to return late in the season. His absence leaves a substantial hole at the most important spot on the front five.
Both workout participants are established swing tackles. Lucas is a fill-in starter who has bounced around the league for more than a decade, most recently with Cleveland in 2025, where he appeared in 10 games and started five. Ford was a 2019 second-round pick of the Bills who has split time between guard and tackle across his career and served most recently as Cincinnati's swing tackle before his release in the preseason.
Either would give New Orleans an experienced, plug-and-play option at tackle while Banks rehabs. Adding that depth matters for a club that counts on Banks as a building block up front — the newcomer would likely be in the mix as soon as Monday night against the Falcons, with the staff mixing and matching until Banks can return.