Tag: Alontae Taylor

Packers’ big-play ability set to test Saints secondary’s vulnerability

The Packers have the most passing plays to gain 40 or more yards, and the Saints are one of the worst teams at stopping them. That’s a mismatch:

Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry have shown some positive things at cornerback since the New Orleans Saints traded away Marshon Lattimore. There have been lapses in technique occasionally too, however. The one thing the Saints secondary has objectively struggled with is stopping big plays. That will be challenged against the Green Bay Packers.

New Orleans has allowed the third-most passing plays of over 40 yards this season. Because of that, they’ve also allowed the fifth most yards. On Monday Night Football, they have to line up across from the passing attack with the most gains of 40-plus yards this season.

Green Bay has two wide receivers (Christian Watson and Jayden Reed) with receptions that gained more than 60 yards. Romeo Doubs has a 39-yard reception and Dontayvion Wicks caught a 36-yard pass earlier this season, too. Essentially, the Packers have four receivers who can stretch the field and a young quarterback who isn’t afraid to lean on them.

It’s not just about air yards when thinking about explosive plays. New Orleans has struggled with corralling receivers at the catch point as well, which has led to too many yards gained after the catch. When it comes to the Green Bay receiving corps, they have the ability to stretch the field and make a play with the ball in their hands. The Saints’ young duo must be on top of their game.

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Saints should consider recently-waived former first round cornerback

Why the Saints should consider bringing in recently-waived cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, the former Washington Commanders first-round pick:

The New Orleans Saints’ cornerback room has had quite a bit of shuffling in recent weeks, with Paulson Adebo out for the year and Marshon Lattimore being traded off to the Washington Commanders. This has left the Saints with only five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster, two of whom were just brought there in Shemar Jean-Charles and Ugo Amadi, as they both came from the practice squad. The full depth at the position is something like:

  • Alontae Taylor
  • Kool-Aid McKinstry
  • Rico Payton
  • Shemar Jean-Charles
  • Ugo Amadi (nickel)

While Alontae Taylor has played well and been exceptionally explosive, and Kool-Aid McKinstry has been solid, there has been ups and downs with the rest of the group.

Ugo Amadi against the Cleveland Browns allowed 11 receptions on 12 targets (91.7%) for 96 yards, allowing a 100.0 passer rating, while also picking up four missed tackles on 11 attempts (36.4%).

Rico Payton absolutely deserves more playing time from what we saw in preseason, as he only has 21 snaps so far this year in the four games he has been in.

Finally, Shemar Jean-Charles, who in two games has allowed 7 receptions on 10 targets for 143 yards and a touchdown, worth a 106.3 passer rating against, with 1 missed tackle on 5 attempts. While he does have an interception, that was about the extent of his highly positive plays.

So, why should the Saints consider adding Forbes?

Well, first off, you are wasting absolutely nothing to bring him in and just see if you can spend some time developing him. He would end up being a waiver claim, which means he would be added with his current rookie scale contract. The need at corner is there beyond the top two at the position, and rather than use draft capital on the position (if possible), maybe you could snag someone serviceable off waivers and make other decisions with that draft capital. If he doesn’t pan out, you lost no picks and can revert back to drafting one anyways (or re-signing Paulson Adebo if that is their preferred alternative).

You have six regular season games left this season, and the ability to develop cornerbacks at a high rate from what we have seen with Marshon Lattimore, Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry (so far), and even Isaac Yiadom. The scheme allows for cornerbacks to flourish as they run the 4-2-6 lineup, allowing for an extra defensive back to come on the field at the expense of a third linebacker, hence why Willie Gay or Pete Werner sub off for presumed pass downs. Ultimately this gives the Saints a chance to grab and try to develop a young cornerback without trading anything away in the process.

What has gone wrong so far in his first two seasons?

One of the biggest issues for Forbes is he has been asked to play a lot of off-coverage, where he drops before the snap and is asked to stick with the receiver. His speed and lower weight would lead you to believe this is the right call, so the logic behind that decision is sound, but the receivers have been able to leverage short routes on the outside to counter that. So how do you fix it? You let the guy who ran a 4.35 40-yard dash shadow the receiver, and consider letting him press on a few snaps to see if he can offset the timing.

The other issue in his game is he has struggled with allowing the deep ball, giving up 16.3 yards per reception in his rookie year, and this season allowing 13.3 per reception on a limited snap count. Does most of this fall on him and his inability to contest at the catch point? No doubt. But you also have to consider that the safeties behind him in Quan Martin and Jeremy Chinn have had down years in coverage as well, and you have to have some level of trust in your deep secondary to cover you over the top. The Commanders have run right around league average percentage zone coverage at 69.4%, which is slightly on the higher end of that middle group of teams. This could also be contributing to those problems as well, as zone is much more reliant on safeties in the deep game than man is, which does not suit Forbes whatsoever.

This is a similar result to what has happened with Shemar Jean-Charles and Ugo Amadi, as those two have run the highest percentage of man coverage on the team (61.8% and 62.0% respectively) and that has led to them struggling, even with Tyrann Mathieu deep. Then you look at Alontae Taylor, someone with a similar frame and play style to Forbes, and he has 57.9% zone coverage, the 101st highest percentage compared to 58th and 61st.

Why would the Saints be an optimal fit?

My belief is the Saints would be the perfect chance for Forbes to reset, find a new way to play the game, and develop with some other great defensive backs. He would have the chance to learn from a player with a similar frame and play style in Alontae Taylor, who has worked both in the slot and outside, so maybe that is ultimately where Forbes resides due to his speed and size.

The Saints have a former long-time defensive backs coach in Joe Woods running the show at defensive coordinator, and another one in Marcus Robertson working as the secondary coach. This would give Forbes the chance to learn from two minds that have specifically tailored their craft to get the best out of their secondary, which is exactly what he needs at this point in time.

Additionally, there is room for playing time as he grows over time. As previously mentioned, the cornerback position is extremely slim for the Saints, and for the future they need someone to come in and play slot with Alontae Taylor moving outside. This provides Forbes immediate opportunity to get reps if he is ready, or if not, a chance for something to work at.

Finally, Forbes would have two former teammates from his last squad to work with as well, in Chase Young and John Ridgeway III. Chase Young has been exceptional at getting pressure this season and has had a large role with the Saints over the course of the season. John Ridgeway III has also seen a snap bump in recent games, as he has 153 defensive snaps and 35 special teams snaps so far in 8 games played.

All of these could be boons to the success of Forbes, and could all help him develop into the potential he had coming into the NFL draft only one and a half years ago. Why not take a shot and see what happens if you’re the Saints?

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Rams receiving corps is the next test for Saints’ young secondary

The Saints’ young secondary will see their first true test since Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry took over at the outside corner spots:

The end of the season is an important time for the New Orleans Saints secondary. Tyrann Mathieu is established, and he is the only member of the secondary who should feel confident about their future in New Orleans.

This is the first time this version of the Saints secondary will genuinely be tested. There’s no Marshon Lattimore to feel comfortable about. Paulson Adebo is on injured reserve. The Saints are now led on the outside by Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Those two haven’t faced a pair of receivers like Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua before. Matthew Stafford isn’t going to catch you by surprise. He’s going to lean on his two lead receivers, so you can expect both corners to be targeted.

This will be a tough challenge for both Taylor and McKinstry. While it isn’t a make or break game, a strong performance would work wonders for them moving forwards.

At this point, everyone is auditioning for the next coaching staff. There’s not a big contract or a player entrenched in their role outside of Mathieu. Having a good showing against this caliber of receivers would generate optimism in whoever the coach will be.

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Week 13 is Alontae Taylor’s chance to make up for last year’s lowlight

Alontae Taylor was benched against the Rams last year. This is the Saints’ cornerback opportunity to replace that with a new memory:

When the New Orleans Saints go against the Los Angeles Rams, Alontae Taylor could look at this game as an opportunity for redemption.

The Saints took on the Rams last year, and it wasn’t a good game for Taylor. Dennis Allen benched Taylor in the “Thursday Night Football” contest after he was at fault on too many big gains.

That game may have taken place last season, but those types of moments don’t just fade from memory. We also know it’s a moment that Taylor carried with him into this season. It was last year’s contest against the Rams the cornerback referenced when speaking on the desire to show the prime time lights aren’t too bright.

If Taylor wanted redemption on primetime games in general, it wouldn’t be far fetched to assume he may also be looking for redemption against the Rams specifically.

Taylor will be aligned at outside cornerback opposed to in the slot. While his alignment has changed, that’s no reason for the motivation to subside.

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A starting role in 2025 is on the line for Kool-Aid McKinstry

Kool-Aid McKinstry taking over at corner next year was the old regime’s thought process. He now has to prove it to whoever the next coach is

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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Panthers receiving corps as riddled with injuries as Saints secondary

Alontae Taylor is the only one of the Saints’ top cornerbacks healthy this week, and Carolina is depending on a WR who was hurt in practice:

The passing game will be an interesting battle to watch when the Carolina Panthers have the ball against the New Orleans Saints. This game will feature a banged up Saints secondary versus a depleted Panthers wide receiver corps.

Paulson Adebo’s season is over with a broken femur suffered in Week 7. Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry are both out with hamstring injuries this week. That leaves Alontae Taylor as the only piece of the core cornerbacks who will play Sunday.

Xavier Legette is the only wide receiver of note available to Bryce Young. Adam Thielen is doubtful and Diontae Johnson was shipped off to the Ravens. Even Legette, who is expected to play, was added to the injury report midweek with a toe injury.

Carolina has struggled to throw the ball this year with Young or Andy Dalton. This would be normally be an easy matchup for the Saints secondary. With all the injuries, it’s difficult to project how they’ll perform.

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Alontae Taylor on constantly shifting roles: ‘I’m used to it’

Injuries may push Alontae Taylor to strictly lining up outside this week. But changing roles isn’t anything new for the Saints’ slot corner:

Injuries to New Orleans Saints cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry may keep Alontae Taylor from playing any snaps in the slot on Sunday.

After Paulson Adebo’s season-ending injury, Dennis Allen moved Taylor outside in his base defense. When the New Orleans Saints were in nickel formation, McKinstry played outside and Taylor went back inside.

But McKinstry was downgraded to a DNP on Thursday, and Lattimore hasn’t practiced all week. Both are dealing with hamstring injuries, and it doesn’t seem like either is trending towards playing against the Carolina Panthers.

Current plans seem like safety Ugo Amadi will play the nickel, which he did last week. This is another shift for Taylor. He started the year at solely nickel corner, then he played both inside and outside last week and it appears he’ll strictly be a boundary corner this Sunday.

Moving around is nothing new, and Taylor said, “At this point I guess I’m used to it.”

It helps that Taylor is going to his natural position. He maintains that he is a cornerback who has gotten comfortable playing the nickel. The comfortability outside means no acclimation period. Even if it’s just Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers, it’s still another NFL team, and Taylor knows he can’t take them lightly.

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Mickey Loomis clarifies Dennis Allen’s statement on young players

Mickey Loomis used Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis as examples of how good young players can develop into great talents, and stars, with time:

Dennis Allen recently said the New Orleans Saints don’t have any great young players, instead saying they have “young guys who are developing.” It was an odd comment for a head coach to make about his team, even when taken in context of the conversation.

So Saints general manager Mickey Loomis stepped in to expand on Allen’s comments by comparing young players to Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis. Those two players didn’t blossom into stars immediately.

Loomis pointed to the beginning of their careers, specifically the first four years where their tackles, sacks, and postseason honors were more pedestrian. It took some time but both Jordan and Davis developed into great players with the records and Pro Bowls to back it up. He then pointed to players such as Chris Olave, Bryan Bresee, Taliese Fuaga and Alontae Taylor as some of the players who could follow that same career arc.

While those players may not be stars yet, Loomis believes they could ascend and begin to get more accolades in the next four to five years similarly to Jordan and Davis.

Loomis ended up naming nearly every prominent young player on the team, but he understands they can’t all be stars. “Will they all do that? No. That’d be unrealistic. We don’t expect that. But certainly we have a lot of guys, and there’s others as well, who have that opportunity.”

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Dennis Allen doesn’t believe the Saints have any great young players

Dennis Allen doesn’t believe the New Orleans Saints have any great young players, but he says they don’t need them:

Dennis Allen joined WWL radio for the coaches show and gave an interesting outlook on the New Orleans Saints’ current roster, specifically the young players.

Allen doesn’t believe the Saints have any great young players, that would include Chris Olave. Erik McCoy feels like just aged out of being a young player. The first player who jumps to mind, however, is Olave.

When describing the roster, Allen said, “I think we have some good young players. I don’t know that we have any great young players, or at least we’re not in that position at least yet. I think we still got some young guys that are developing that we hope can continue to get better and improve.”

This just feels like an odd position for a head coach to take publicly. Even by leaving the door open for those players to become great, it feels like a slamming of the current roster.

Maybe Allen felt comfortable saying this because he believes, “You can win a lot of games with a lot of good players. You don’t have to have a ton of what people might consider great players. You need tough, smart, competitive football players that play the game the right way.”

Allen does believe they have those type of players. He just doesn’t think you need great players to win football games. He’s right if the coaching is great. Something has to be great for you for you to win a lot of games.

When you’re 2-6, coming out to say you don’t believe you have great young players gives the appearance of a coach blaming the roster for the team’s shortcomings. Everything else he said afterwards can’t erase the leading statement.

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Saints rookie DB is about to be thrown into the fire

Kool-Aid McKinstry started in Week 2, but playing opposite of Marshon Lattimore is a much different experience. This is why the Saints drafted him:

Kool-Aid McKinstry’s rookie season completely changed when Paulson Adebo went down with injury. McKinstry goes from being a minor player in the system to basically being a starter. But the New Orleans Saints drafted him so highly because an emergency like this might happen.

He’ll be the outside corner opposite Marshon Lattimore in the Saints’ nickel defense, which they run more often than almost any other personnel grouping. You’ll frequently see Lattimore, McKinstry and slot corner Alontae Taylor on the field together.

This is similar to the role McKinstry played against the Dallas Cowboys, but the difference comes from who is on the other side of the field. In Week 2, the rookie filled in for Lattimore. This week, he’s playing opposite of Lattimore.

Even though Adebo is a good cornerback, he was one of the NFL’s most-targeted players in coverage because teams didn’t want to try Lattimore. That tendency didn’t change with a rookie entering the lineup. Lattimore is rarely challenged. That’s another tendency that is unlikely to change.

McKinstry saw just two targets on 12 passing snaps in Week 2. He probably won’t see another game with just two targets. He also will see more than 12 snaps on passing plays as well.

In limited action, McKinstry has looked good. He’s about to really jump in the fire playing opposite of the Saints top corner. Expect to see McKinstry much more than you did against the Cowboys.

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