Tag: Alontae Taylor

Marshon Lattimore, Alontae Taylor both fined for ‘violent gestures’ vs. Falcons

Marshon Lattimore and Alontae Taylor were both fined for ‘violent gestures’ during last week’s game with the Falcons:

Two New Orleans Saints defensive backs were fined for committing unsportsmanlike conduct against the Atlanta Falcons last week. A league review found that Marshon Lattimore and Alontae Taylor made “violent gestures” with their hands.

Lattimore was cited for mimicking a firearm after Paulson Adebo intercepted Kirk Cousins with 4:59 left in the first quarter, which cost him $14,069. Taylor was fined $10,916 for the same thing about a minute earlier after he broke up a pass intended for Drake London. The difference is due to an NFL rule which requires these fines to be no more than  10% of the player’s weekly salary cap hit. Both players have the option to appeal.

If you’re curious about where the money collected in these fines goes, here’s the explanation from NFL Operations:

The fines collected are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.

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Alontae Taylor is our choice for Saints’ Defensive Player of September

In September, Alontae Taylor set a Saints record, led the team in sacks, and had a great performance against CeeDee Lamb. He’s our Saints Defensive Player of the Month:

Alontae Taylor is the New Orleans Saints defensive player of the month. Dennis Allen praised Taylor frequently this offseason, and Taylor continues to showcase why he was worthy of the comments.

This was a tough pick between him and safety Tyrann Mathieu. The secondary was expected to be the strength of the team, so it makes sense the two leading candidates for the team come from the unit.

Between Taylor, Mathieu and contributions from Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry, the secondary has lived up to the billing.

Mathieu is responsible for the most turnovers on the team. He has 2 interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. However, the nod goes to Taylor because of his surprising pass rush and improved coverage ability in the slot.

Taylor leads the Saints in sacks despite being a nickel cornerback. In Week 1, he set a team record for most sacks by a defensive back in a game. Taylor also was tasked with covering CeeDee Lamb often in Week 2. Taylor lived up to the billing.

Taylor looks more comfortable in the slot and has impacted the game in multiple ways. For that, he earns the player of the month.

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Alvin Kamara, Bijan Robinson both limited on updated Saints-Falcons injury report

Thursday’s update to the Saints-Falcons injury report listed both Alvin Kamara (hip/ribs) and Bijan Robinson (shoulder) as limited participants at practice:

Let’s start with the good news from the latest New Orleans Saints injury report. Only three players weren’t participating at Thursday’s practice session after a staggering crowd of nine were listed on the injury report to start the week. Linebacker Demario Davis (hamstring) and right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee) remained sidelined with wide receiver A.T. Perry (hamstring) now joining them after practicing fully on Wednesday.

Now the bad news. Davis and Ruiz would both be substantial absences if they can’t play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. And Perry wasn’t the only wide receiver dealing with an injury on Thursday. Veteran backup Cedrick Wilson Jr. was limited with an ankle issue.

So let’s bring it back to the positives. Star running back Alvin Kamara (hip/ribs) practiced on a limited basis after being held out on Wednesday, and nickel corner Alontae Taylor (illness) saw a full day’s work after missing the week’s first practice, too. They’re both trending into the right direction.

Things are looking grim for Atlanta. Right tackle Kaleb McGary (knee) wasn’t able to practice again, and two others were limited for the first time. Both running back Bijan Robinson (shoulder) and linebacker Matthew Judon (hamstring) had to cut back their workload on Thursday. Left tackle Jake Matthews missed practice with a personal day.

We’ll learn more on Friday about who may be unavailable this week. Here’s the full injury report from Thursday, Sept. 26:

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WATCH: Alontae Taylor grabs his fourth sack of the season

Alontae Taylor grabbed his fourth sack of the season in Week 3. He’s almost halfway there to setting an NFL record:

Update: This story was updated to add new information. The NFL split this  sack between Alontae Taylor and Carl Granderson, so Taylor is at 3.5 sacks this season.

The New Orleans Saints pressure has been strong through the first few weeks of the season, especially so from defensive back Alontae Taylor, who snagged his fourth sack of the 2024 season already. He is already well on his way to the single-season sacks record for a defensive back, which is held by Jamal Adams, with 9.5 sacks back in 2020.

Taylor has gotten almost completely free on his blitzes, too, with no one covering him in multiple instances. If he can continue this pace, it could be an outstanding season for the young cornerback, and for the pass-rush unit as well. We’ve seen Dennis Allen blitz his nickel corners and safeties before but Taylor is quickly catching up on guys like Roman Harper.

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Kool-Aid McKinstry has given Saints an immediate return on their investment

Marshon Lattimore is returning to the starting lineup in Week 3, but Kool-Aid McKinstry has already showed why the Saints drafted him:


Marshon Lattimore is returning in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles after missing last week’s game with the Dallas Cowboys. His absence pushed Kool-Aid McKinstry into the starting lineup.

Dennis Allen struck again with another defensive back. In his debut, McKinstry showed why the New Orleans Saints traded up to draft him in the second round. McKinstry was drafted with Paulson Adebo entering a contract year and Lattimore’s future uncertain. Lattimore returned to the team amid trade speculation, but that didn’t change circumstances for the rookie much.

The consensus has been for the cornerback to step into the starting lineup next year and provide a good insurance policy as a backup in case of injury this season. Whether that means Adebo leaves in free agency or Lattimore is traded in 2025, odds are McKinstry will have a more prominent role in Year 2 than Year 1.

In one start, McKinstry looked primed to fit in both roles. Pro Football Focus gave him a 77.1 coverage grade. That was good for 10th-best among all corners in Week 2, and he did it against a very talented Dallas receiving corps.

Even without PFF’s grading, it was evident that McKinstry belongs. His biggest play was a break up against CeeDee Lamb in the end zone. You saw an all around solid performance beyond that play. He looked poised in the moment, and it’s clear what the Saints saw in him in April.

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Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) feeling better, expected to play Week 3

Marshon Lattimore missed last week’s game, but it’s expected he’ll be able to suit up as the Saints take on the Eagles — who are without A.J. Brown

This story was updated to add new information.

The Philadelphia Eagles will be down one of their lead receivers Sunday as A.J. Brown is still recovering from a hamstring injury. On the other side of the ball, the New Orleans Saints could be getting Marshon Lattimore back from a hamstring injury of his own.

The cornerback was a full participant on Friday and had no injury designation on the final injury report, meaning he’s expecting to play.

Lattimore missed the Week 2 matchup versus the Dallas Cowboys due to an injury suffered against the Carolina Panthers. Lattimore was a game-time decision. Ultimately, Dennis Allen held the cornerback out to keep from further injury.

Kool-Aid McKinstry joined Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo as the three cornerbacks in the secondary. Lattimore hopes to rejoin the lineup in Week 3.

When looking at the lead up to Week 2. It was clear Lattimore was close to ready. Allen’s tone after the game felt like the corner would have a good chance playing this week.

After the week off, Lattimore feels healthier. He actually practiced this week, which he didn’t do last week. Allen thought the cornerback would be mad at him for the decision. In the moment, maybe he was, but Lattimore agreed it was the right call to sit in hindsight.

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Alontae Taylor grateful for the Saints’ offensive explosion: ‘They bailed us out at times’

How much have things changed for the Saints? Alontae Taylor said the offense bailed out the defense at times against the Cowboys:

Alontae Taylor delivered a statement on Monday he couldn’t have said at any other point in his career about the New Orleans Saints offense: “I’d like to say that they were rolling so good that they bailed us out at times.”

This is a real quote about the effectiveness of the offense, and it could only be said this year.

Alvin Kamara, Derek Carr, Klint Kubiak and Rashid Shaheed have the offense rolling in ways unseen under Dennis Allen. It still doesn’t feel like Chris Olave has been completely unleashed. It’s difficult to not make large statements after the first two games, such as declaring it a new era.

It’s too soon for that, so let’s keep it isolated to Week 2. Taylor isn’t wrong. He looked at the beginning of the game where the Dallas Cowboys scored on their first three possessions. The game looks different if the Saints aren’t scoring as well.

Sure, the Cowboys scored 13 points to start the game, but the Saints put up 28 before Dak Prescott threw an interception. That was the point when the Saints defense clamp down. Having an offense that can score consistently gives the defense room for error they haven’t had recently.

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Report: Marshon Lattimore is OUT vs. Cowboys

Marshon Lattimore was a game-time decision ahead of Saints vs. Cowboys. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to go on Sunday:

https://twitter.com/josinaanderson/status/1835336487061139546?s=46&t=BGVU6QtA–q5wEiol6W64A

The New Orleans Saints will have to stop the Dallas Cowboys passing attack without Marshon Lattimore this week. He wasn’t spotted warming up before the game, and NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that he will be inactive at kickoff.

The Saints lead corner went down with a hamstring injury versus the Panthers in Week 1. This injury left him unable to practice the entire week and being a game-time decision on Sunday.

Because of his absence, Kool-Aid McKinstry will join the starting secondary alongside Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor. This was the combination that saw the field when Lattimore departed Week 1.

The Saints have to deal with the elite connection of CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.

Lamb works out of the slot frequently, so this will primarily be Taylor’s matchup. Taylor’s season debut wasn’t just great, it was historic. The day stood out because of his ability to rush the quarterback.

Taylor needs to have an equally strong performance against the Cowboys. This time he’ll need to do it coverage against Lamb and the rest of the receiving corps.

It’ll be interesting if the Cowboys change tendencies because there’s a rookie on the outside. McKinstry’s inexperience could lead to the Cowboys targeting him with their best wideout.

McKinstry was drafted for this exact situation. The Saints knew he may have to step in for someone, and that is already true after the first game. This provides a huge opportunity for McKinstry to get game reps and show he’s prepared to take this job on next year.

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Report: Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) pushing to play vs. Cowboys

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) is pushing to play against the Cowboys in Week 2:

It doesn’t sound like the New Orleans Saints plan on Marshon Lattimore playing against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but never say never. And if it were up to Lattimore he’d be out there.

That’s what NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported overnight, saying that Lattimore is “pushing to play, but it’s a long season and him being healthy is paramount. He’ll workout this morning to see.”

The Saints traded up to pick Kool-Aid McKinstry in this year’s NFL draft because of Lattimore’s injury history. And then he pulled his hamstring last week against the Carolina Panthers after missing most of training camp with a hip flexor injury.

There aren’t many tougher assignments a rookie could ask for than being thrown into a game with CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and the rest of the Cowboys receiving corps, but a trial by fire would tell the coaches what they have in McKinstry.

And it’s worth remembering the other corners on the 53-man roster include a rising star in Paulson Adebo and Defensive Player of the Week snub Alontae Taylor, as well as preseason fan-favorite Rico Payton. They have quality depth at the position. If giving Lattimore another week to rest his injuries helps him endure the next 15 games, going without him in Dallas might be worth it. But we won’t know if he’s able to go for sure until he tests his leg in pregame warmups.

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Marshon Lattimore will be a game-time decision vs. Cowboys

Marshon Lattimore is currently nursing a hamstring injury, and will be a game-time decision on Sunday against the Cowboys:

Marshon Lattimore left the New Orleans Saints season opener with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of practice leading up to the game versus the Dallas Cowboys. Right now, he’s a game-time decision.

Dennis Allen has his vision of how things will go this week with his star cornerback. Allen’s vision: “Lattimore’s on the trip. We’ll see where he’s at on game day. If we feel like he’s appropriate to play, he’ll be out there.”

Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are on the other side. You’d like a world where Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo and Lattimore are on the field to stop Lamb and company. Former Saint Brandin Cooks doesn’t receive the headlines, but he’s continued to be a solid wide receiver through his tenure.

Being down Lattimore, would push Kool-Aid McKinstry into the starting lineup. This would be the definition of baptism by fire. They’d likely look to test him specifically with Lamb in order to see how the rookie responds.

Lattimore making the trip keeps the optimism alive and all parties involved will know if he can play a couple hours before kickoff.

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