Asim Richards

Asim Richards (born October 2, 2000) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Early life Richards was born on October 2, 2000, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Haverford School, where he played football and basketball.

On the football team, he spent most of his time as a defensive end and tight end. As a junior, he received second-team All-Inter-Ac honors at defensive end.

As a senior, he started the final four games at offensive tackle. He received All-Inter-Ac League honors and a Mini Max award, given by the Maxwell Football Club to the standout players in eastern Pennsylvania.

College career As a true freshman in 2019, he appeared in 9 games, mostly in a backup role on the offensive line and on special teams.

As a sophomore in 2020, he was named the full starter at left tackle, starting in all but one of the 12 games of the season.

As a senior in 2022, he started all 14 games at left tackle and was named third-team all-conference after allowing only three sacks on close to 1,050 snaps. He blocked for quarterback Drake Maye, helping the offense place third in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in points per game, second in passing yards per game and total yards per game, and first in rushing. Although Richards had one year of eligibility remaining, he opted to enter the 2023 NFL draft.

Dallas Cowboys Richards was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (169th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. As a rookie, he appeared in eight games. In Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams, saw action at left tackle early in the fourth quarter while Chuma Edoga was out with an ankle injury. He was declared inactive 9 contests and in the Wild Card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.

In 2024, he appeared in 13 games with one start at left tackle, while showing that he could also play the guard position. He missed four contests from Week 13 to Week 16 with an ankle injury. In Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he made his first start at left tackle in place of injured first round draft choice Tyler Guyton. He also saw significant playing time at left tackle in the season finale against the Washington Commanders.

In 2025, he was expected to be the team's backup left tackle, but was passed on the depth chart during the preseason by second-year player Nate Thomas.

New Orleans Saints On August 26, 2025, Richards was traded to the New Orleans Saints along with a 2028 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round pick. He was acquired to be the team's backup swing tackle.