By Ross Jackson
Familiarity has been one of the big themes of New Orleans Saints free agency so far. Cornerback Isaac Yiadom is a great example from multiple perspectives.
Yiadom and the Saints agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $10.5 million this offseason. It marks a return for the veteran corner.
Not only is Yiadom a former Saint, but this will be the third time that he has overlapped with Saints defense coordinator Brandon Staley.
The two were together in Denver as members of the Broncos then again last season with the San Francisco 49ers. Now, the duo will team up for the third time in New Orleans.
The last time that Yiadom took snaps for the Saints, he played like one of the top boundary cornerbacks in the NFL. By season’s end, the veteran defensive back led the NFL among all cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps with a forced incompletion percentage of 30 percent.
Now, he returns to the Big Easy with the benefit of familiarity with Staley, who will be constructing and calling the defense he’ll be a part of, with a chance to man one of the top cornerback roles.
Assuming the Saints don’t invest a major free agency contract or premier draft pick in the position, Yiadom is likely to start on the outside in 2025. Opposite him is expected to be second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry with Alontae Taylor in the slot. Once again, the Saints’ secondary is shaping up to be its strongest unit with the chance to get even better before toe meets leather Week One of the NFL season.
