Tag: Marshon Lattimmore

Marshon Lattimore begins practicing for first time since July 26 injury

Marshon Lattimore went down with a hip flexor injury on Day 3 of Saints training camp. On Tuesday, he was seen practicing for the first time since July 26:

For the first time since suffering a hip flexor injury early on in New Orleans Saints training camp, Marshon Lattimore was seen working with trainers on the sidelines at Tuesday’s practice session.

In his absence, rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry has taken over Lattimore’s duties opposite of Paulson Adebo (who has missed some time with his own injury). The rookie being able to get first team reps for a large portion of training camp is a silver lining of the injury. McKinstry is better for having the extra reps.

Lattimore went down on July 26, the third day of training camp. A couple days later, Dennis Allen called the injury concerning, but not something he was losing sleep over. Lattimore has missed a lot of time over the last two years and didn’t finish the 2023 season. His injury felt like continuation of a pattern. It had a little over two weeks since Allen’s comments and this is the first update we’ve received.

This is progress. Lattimore working to the side means he is at least getting closer to returning. It could easily be a few weeks away. The Saints may choose to hold Lattimore out for the duration of training camp out of necessity or precaution.

Seeing him work individually provides a bit of optimism around the possibility of Lattimore being available for the season opener against the  Carolina Panthers.

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Bryan Bresee missed Day 4 of Saints training camp with a foot injury

Bryan Bresee missed Saturday’s training camp practice. Dennis Allen declined to give a timetable for return but said Bresee is ‘dealing with a foot injury’

Bryan Bresee was one of five players who weren’t seen at Day 4 of New Orleans Saints training camp. After practice, Allen said the second-year player is “dealing with a foot injury.”

There was no inkling Bresee was hurt after Friday’s practice, so time will tell how severe the injury is. This could have been a minor issue that he’s being held out for as a precaution. He did have a bit of an injury history in college at Clemson. Right now, Allen isn’t giving any extra information.

That isn’t specific to Bresee either. Many want to know about the extent or timeline surrounding star cornerback Marshon Lattimore. When asked, Allen said, he’s “not going to get into time frames for (Lattimore) or anybody in terms of when guys will be back.”

Whether the team has the full picture on some of these injuries or not, Allen is keeping the information close to the vest. It would be dangerous, from our position, to project a timeline for Bresee without knowing his exact injury. The Saints have a day off before putting on the pads Monday. We’ll look to see if Bresee or Lattimore returns in the days ahead.

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Training camp spotlight: Kool-Aid McKinstry vs. Alontae Taylor

There were some parallels between Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor coming out of college. Now, they’ll compete to start in the slot for the Saints:

Though Kool-Aid McKinstry hasn’t played a snap in the NFL, he and Alontae Taylor have a few parallels in their professional journey.

The New Orleans Saints drafted both defensive backs in the second round, and there were similar questions around their immediate future with the team. Paulson Adebo was coming off a strong rookie year next to Marshon Lattimore. There were questions about where Taylor would line up — would he be a cornerback or safety? Injuries led to him starting nine games as a rookie, all outside at corner.

Ironically, Adebo is now coming off another strong year, and the Saints drafted another cornerback. This time it’s McKinstry. When thinking of McKinstry’s impact, eyes tend to focus on 2025. That’s the year it is believed he will be a starting outside corner for the Saints, whether it’s because Adebo or Lattimore moving on next offseason.

Possibly the greatest parallel between McKinstry and Taylor is that they have both been asked to move to the slot without much experience inn that role. Taylor slid inside late last summer after Adebo won the outside cornerback battle. It was his first time playing that position, and he struggled there while playing out of his element. He was benched twice late in 2023.

Saints coach Dennis Allen has said McKinstry will compete on the outside and the inside during training camp. Training him at both positions is great long-term. In the short-term, though, the greater opportunity is on the inside

McKinstry will be playing slot for the first time this year. Will his transition be smoother than Taylor’s was? It feels temporary, but it’s his best route to the field in 2024. To win that spot, he’ll have to go through Taylor.

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