Tag: Sincere Haynesworth

Dennis Allen shares injury updates for rookies Kool-Aid McKinstry, Dallin Holker

Dennis Allen shared injury updates on two rookies, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Dallin Holker, during his postgame press conference Sunday night:

The New Orleans Saints were dealt an unfortunate hand during their second preseason matchup, in which they lost 16-10 to the San Francisco 49ers and sustained a couple of injuries. Rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry exited during the first quarter and Dallin Holker was hurt during pregame warmups. Head coach Dennis Allen shared updates for both players during his postgame press conference.

Regarding McKinstry, Allen said that “He has a knee injury, I think we avoided anything serious. Now, what kind of time we are looking at, I really have no idea. But I think we escaped the game, at least on initial report, without any major injuries.”

His statement saying that the Saints seemed to have gotten away without any major injuries is most definitely a notable one, as the injury to McKinstry looked bad upon first glance. Considering he went to the medical tent twice and then to the locker room, we had no real indications of the severity, though it seems less dangerous than first feared.

As for Holker the severity is unknown, however Allen did not seem specifically concerned about it and did not go beyond a short response about it: “He sprained his ankle pre-game. Prior to really pre-game, just throwing with the quarterbacks early on.”

Hopefully this shows faith in it being short-term issues for both first-year pros, but we will see how it develops in the coming days. Two other rookies were also banged up with former Tulane center Sincere Haynesworth being carted off with a leg injury, and sixth-round draft pick Khristian Boyd leaving under his own power before returning. We’ll watch for updates on both.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Sincere Haynesworth is the Saints Player of Day 61

Countdown to Kickoff: Sincere Haynesworth is the Saints Player of Day 61. What must the rookie from Tulane do to make the squad?

We’re counting down the days until the start of the New Orleans Saints’ regular season by featuring each player to wear that day’s corresponding jersey number, and with there being 61 days to go it brings us to Sincere Haynesworth.

What must the rookie from Tulane do to make the squad? Let’s look back at the road that brought him here, and what realistic goals are for him in 2024:

  • Name (Age): Sincere Haynesworth (23)
  • Position: Offensive center
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 310 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 5.04
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $797,000
  • College: Tulane
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

Haynesworth didn’t receive a ton of guarantees in his rookie contract ($16,000 in total, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill) so he wasn’t as highly sought-after as other players in the class of undrafted free agents. And he’s a little undersized by pro standards. Still, he put some strong reps on his game tape and the Saints didn’t bring him in for no reason.

Part of the appeal is his ample college experience. Haynesworth started for five years at the college level, four of them at center, totaling an impressive 3,987 career snaps. He also spent a year at right guard. He was the primary backup for Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy at organized team activities this spring before the Saints signed Lucas Patrick in time for minicamp, which bumped Haynesworth down to the third team offense with his fellow rookie Spencer Rattler.

So how can he make the team? Haynesworth must show that he’s a good fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense, and that he’s a better option to round out the depth chart than his competition. That includes other rookies like Josiah Ezirim (a seventh-round draft pick), Kyle Hergel and Nouri Nouili (neither of whom, like Haynesworth, were drafted), plus Mark Evans II, last year’s big get in undrafted free agency. Showing some positional versatility would be nice but so long as he’s keeping his quarterback clean and holding his own through training camp and the preseason, he’ll have as good a shot as anyone.

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