The New Orleans Saints have several positions with major question marks, but one might be flying under the radar.
That'd be cornerback, as the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert explains, even with some intriguing names manning the position.
"You can’t double team everyone and if you’re a quarterback and you know what you’re doing you’re going to attack the weakest link,” Hebert said.
Hear the full OTA breakdown from Bobby Hebert in the play above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
So who exactly will be that weakest link? It's difficult to say right now. This time last year the Saints were looking at as deep of a cornerback room as they've ever had, but Marshon Lattimore was shipped off to the Commanders in a midseason trade and Paulson Adebo signed a big-money deal with the Giants in free agency.
Alontae Taylor is now the presumptive leader in the cornerback group, but he's most likely going to be in the slot -- or the "star" position in Brandon Staley's scheme. That leaves second-year pro Kool-Aid McKinstry, veteran Isaac Yiadom, who re-signed with the Saints after a year with the 49ers, and rookie CB Quincy Riley who is yet to get on the field due to an offseason procedure.
“I think my role is going to be pretty crucial," Taylor said after the second OTA session. "I think I’m gonna help the defense out in many ways. I kind of get the feeling that I had going into my senior year at Tennessee when we had coach Banks comes in and coach Martinez comes in with the freedom that I have to kind of move around and kind of play my game.”
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Taylor was at his best a year ago when he was played exclusively in the slot, but he spent the second half of the season on the outside due to injuries to both Lattimore and Adebo. He ended the year with 89 tackles, 7 TFLs, 4 sacks and 16 passes defensed.
“They’re gonna play him all over," Hebert continued, "because they’re going to have him also in the slot because he can also rush the passer. … I wouldn’t be surprised again if he has four or five sacks, because you can get there, but can you finish?”
The Saints have one more set of OTAs this week before a mandatory minicamp. The full training camp will kick off in late July.