When the New Orleans Saints selected Kool-Aid McKinstry in this year’s NFL draft, the vision was for him to likely step in as a starter on the outside. The problem is, it was Dennis Allen’s plan. Dennis Allen isn’t here anymore, so it’s on McKinstry to prove to the next coach that the plans shouldn’t change.
The opportunity is still there. Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo were the starting boundary cornerbacks entering the season. Lattimore is a Washington Commander and Adebo is on injured reserve.
McKinstry is joined by Alontae Taylor on the outside, but Taylor has the slot corner role as his safety net. McKinstry spent most of the season limited by opportunity or injury. The Lattimore trade cleared the way for the rookie to showcase his talents.
Prior to the bye week, McKinstry played 99 percent of the snaps against the Browns. This will be his regular workload as long as he stays healthy. These next six games will be to tell the regime he should be a leader when determining who will play outside cornerback in 2025.
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