Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS, La. — One of the New Orleans Saints’ young core defenders has been recognized for his performance against the New York Giants during the team’s Week 5 victory.
Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two-interception game. Both interceptions were the first of McKinstry’s career and happened on back-to-back plays.
LOCKDOWN 😤 Kool-Aid McKinstry is your NFC Defensive Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/FfbKCAuwv7
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 8, 2025
The second-year corner also added a pass breakup in the endzone and hustled down the field to block for safety Jordan Howden as Howden returned a fumble recovery 86 yards for a touchdown.
McKinstry also added four combined tackles during the contest.
The second-round cornerback becomes the first Saints defender to receive a Player of the Week nod since former cornerback Paulson Adebo who earned the honor in 2023.
The last #Saints player to be named NFC Defensive Player of the Week before today was Paulson Adebo in 2023. https://t.co/Iuzz3Ggi1C
— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) October 8, 2025
This is a much-deserved acknowledgement of McKinstry’s game. The cornerback said after Sunday’s game that he put in a lot of extra work during the week leading up to the Giants contest. It certainly paid off, and now the corner will be hoping for more honors throughout the season.
“I definitely found me a new routine,” he said following Sunday’s win. “And I’m going to stick to it.”
