HOUSTON -- The Saints' plan to shake up their offensive line was short-lived after starting left tackle James Hurst left their 20-13 loss to the Texans on a cart.
Hurst limped off the field after injuring an ankle in the first half and went into the injury tent. A cart pulled up on the sideline to take him to the locker room and he did not return. Hurst was ruled out in the fourth quarter.
The Saints entered the game intending to bench 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning by moving Hurst from left guard to left tackle. Veteran Max Garcia played left guard in place of Andrus Peat, who was active but on the injury report with a groin issue.
That plan was cut short, as Penning retook his spot at left tackle once Hurst exited.
"Five games in ... I saw some improvements from the player and yet I wanted him to be able to kind of sit back and see the game from a different perspective and kind of grow that way," Saints coach Dennis Allen said of the decision to bench Penning. "Obviously with James going down, he had to go in there and play. I thought he kind of got off to a little bit of a rough start, but then I thought he kind of settled in a bit more. ... I thought he handled it well. I thought he had a good week of practice."
Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk left the game in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion, causing another shuffle, with Ruiz moving to right tackle and Nick Saldiveri entering at right guard.