Cornerback Room Outlook: Youthful Breakout On The Horizon?
Cornerback was one of the positions going into the offseason I thought could use another major infusion of talent. Outside of Marshon Lattimore’s time with the Saints the team has not had a bona fide number one caliber cornerback. We’ve seen the defense benefit from having one and what the defense looks like without one in recent years. The defense can still be very well be good and effective without a number one but knowing you have one who can take the opposing team’s best receiver out of the game is a game changer.
So the Saints have gone through the offseason without any flashy additions to the cornerback room. I’m sure they would have liked to but with all the focus on upgrading the offense it seems like the plan will have to wait for another day. In the meantime though there is a major opportunity for the young cornerbacks on the roster to show they can be long term answers at the position. Kool-Aid McKinstry is entering his third year in the league and offers the best chance of these young corners to break out and become a number one corner. He’s been a reliable starter who has shown flashes of success but with the inconsistency you expect from a young player. Kool-Aid will look to make the patented third year jump a lot of young players tend to make. I’m sure the Saints would love to see it and they just might be with the feedback we have been getting from OTA’s and minicamp.
Next up in the room is Quincy Riley who is coming off a successful rookie campaign. Quincy was able to hold down a starting role on the defense as a fourth round pick and will be looking to build on his success heading into year two. Quincy came into the league figuring to be more of a nickel option based on his size and feedback draft analysts had given him but was able to show he can be effective outside at this level. Now entering year two he will provide valuable inside/outside versatility to a defense which could use some versatility after the departure of Alontae Taylor in the offseason.
After those two players though the cornerback position gets murky pretty quick. They have veteran Isaac Yiadom who was benched for Quincy Riley last season due to draft pick compensation. As well as newcomer Martin Emerson Jr. who has shown flashes in his short career but has had subpar play of late as he has dealt with injuries. Yiadom is the veteran of the room and will be able to bring the most experience to the group while Emerson could offer the best size of the group. These two players will play key roles this upcoming season as they figure to play meaningful snaps throughout the season and could see starts throughout the season through their level of play or injuries to Kool-Aid or Quincy Riley.
Now to round out the rest of the cornerback room there is TJ Hall, Beanie Bishop, Dalys Beanum, Jayden Price, and Rejzohn Wright. This group will look to provide depth and quality play on the special teams unit. Each player in this group is in the position of needing to prove themselves heading into camp to try and earn a spot on the 53 man roster. The competition will be fierce and will make for some battles throughout at camp as these guys try to stand out from one another.
Overall the cornerback room will be one to follow throughout camp as the Saints could use a breakout or two from Kool-Aid or Quincy to help bolster a defense in the middle of transition. The team will need meaningful snaps from Yiadom and Emerson throughout the season. Maybe even a pleasant surprise from the bottom of the depth chart to help round out the room. The team would greatly benefit from the cornerback room seeing further improvement.
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