Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
There may not be a position in the New Orleans Saints’ roster that has seen more turnover since last year’s trade deadline than cornerback. With star corner Marshon Lattimore traded and the other, Paulson Adebo, departing in free agency, the Saints had to replace two top corners.
In the process, the team also lost Rico Payton, a valuable depth piece, to the New York Giants via waivers. Payton will now reunite with Adebo in East Rutherford, N.J.
Despite those losses, the Saints did an impressive job reconstructing its room. Some very important pieces were already in the roster in Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor. Rejzohn Wright returned from injury and earned a spot over Payton and then New Orleans brought in two more talented contributors to bolster the room: Isaac Yiadom in free agency and Quicy Riley via the draft.
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McKinstry Leads The Way
While Yiadom is the veteran and Taylor has the most institutional experience, it will be McKinstry that holds firm as the team’s top option at the position.
The former Alabama cornerback developed under Nick Saban, giving him a strong grasp of the principles Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley emphasizes in his coverage scheme. The two coaches have run similar, though not exact, systems.
McKinstry showed that there will be growing pains in his preseason action against the Denver Broncos. As the closest defender to Broncos wideout Courtland Sutton in four targets, he was credited with surrendering three catches for 64 receiving yards. But that performance was far from indicative of what was seen all throughout training camp. Factor in the momentum he picked up toward the end of his rookie season, and the young corner has a lot of positive performances to demonstrate his impact.
Taylor’s New Role
Slot corner, edge pressure, run defense, Taylor does it all. Stepping into Staley’s STAR role, Taylor will be unleashed as a disruptive chaos creator on defense, which is a perfect role for his athletic, speedy and aggressive play style.
He’ll bring a spark of energy and confidence to the defense once he returns from his groin injury, which he managed for much of the preseason. Taylor is in line to be an impact player, much like how he started the season last year, throughout 2025.
Should he miss any time, it will likely be safety Ugo Amadi that steps into the role, which he did very well during his preseason opportunities.
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