Hard to believe that a year after the Saints drafted Matt Tennant out of Boston College out of the 5th round, he’s already starting for the team at center. Jonathan Goodwin is headed to the San Francisco 49ers after they offered him 3 years at almost $11 million, an offer the Saints simply couldn’t match. The Saints wanted Goody back, at the right price of course, but they’re ready to hand the role to Tennant now that Goodwin is out of the picture.
It’s funny, the position that Tennant is in now is something Zach Strief has been striving for for a long time and never got it, and it’s something Jermon Bushrod waited a very long time for as well before finally getting his opportunity. Fortunately for Tennant, he’ll get his opportunity very early into his career. And what more could he ask for? He gets to snap to Drew Brees and play with Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans on either side of him. Sure, there’s pressure involved with that, but it’s about as fortunate a situation as any young NFL center could ask for. Pro Bowlers on either side of you and a Pro Bowl QB behind you. Can you imagine? I’d argue that almost no center in the history of the NFL has had the luxury…
If Tennant can’t thrive in this environment, I really wonder if he’ll ever be able to. The Saints feel good about him though. He’s smart, hard working, and talented. Talk about setting a guy up for success.
Center is now Tennant’s job to lose until the next young center challenges him. Considering his lone backup is undrafted rookie Ryan Taylor to this point, I don’t think a challenge will be coming this year. I’ll be shocked if Tennant doesn’t come right out of the gates and have a strong year based on the talent around him. Like Bushrod, his learning curve will be high and he’ll go from spotty to serviceable in a short amount of time because he can lean on his teammates who are some of the best in the business.
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