Kool-Aid McKinstry is about to get the kind of work that can change the conversation around a cornerback fast.
He entered the offseason with plenty of buzz, and so far he’s done his part to keep it alive. McKinstry has been steady throughout the spring and into training camp, and that consistency is exactly what the Saints have been looking for. He finished last season on a strong note, and now the challenge is doing it from start to finish instead of just closing well.
The real test arrives this week in joint practices against the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. That’s where McKinstry gets his chance to show whether the early hype is just promise or something bigger. If he handles these reps well, the talk around him could jump from “he looks good” to “he might be special.”
The level of competition is about to rise sharply for the Saints’ secondary. There’s no disrespect to New Orleans’ own wide receivers, but what’s coming next is a different animal. Even when Jordyn Tyson was healthy, he and Chris Olave were only aiming for the kind of matchup George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, or Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, already represent.
Tuesday’s practice against the Cowboys will put McKinstry right in the fire with Pickens and Lamb. The Cowboys’ work against the Rams last week showed that Pickens isn’t easing into anything.
He’s a physically imposing receiver and a true showman, the kind of player who makes every win feel loud. When he gets the better of a corner, everybody notices.
Lamb brings a different challenge. He’s a former All-Pro who has dealt with injuries over the last couple of seasons, but when he’s right, he’s one of the toughest assignments in the league. McKinstry will get his turns against both of them, and that’s exactly the kind of proving ground a young corner needs.
A few days later, the Saints will face the Rams, and the work may not get much easier. Nacua may not be available for the joint practice, but McKinstry should still see plenty of Davante Adams. Even with age in the picture, Adams remains one of the league’s craftiest route runners.
If McKinstry stacks together a strong week, the excitement around him could take off in a hurry. He’s a major piece of the Saints’ defense in 2026 and possibly beyond, and a good showing here would make one thing clear: he’s ready for the season.
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Former Saints Quarterback Is Giving Fans Another Reason To Revisit QB Decisions
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For Saints fans, it is the kind of transaction that can stir up an old conversation about how the quarterback room has been managed over the last couple of years. Haener was a fourth-round pick in 2023 and got into eight games for New Orleans in 2024, so his latest stop is a reminder that the evaluation of young passers rarely ends where it begins. [Read more 🡒]