Mickey Loomis catches plenty of heat for the contracts and roster decisions that have left the New Orleans Saints thin in spots, but letting Alontae Taylor leave for Tennessee is looking like one call he got right.
Taylor signed a three-year, $58 million deal with the Titans, a contract that included $42 million in guaranteed money and was supposed to make him one of the key pieces in Robert Saleh's secondary. Instead, less than a third of the way into the season, Tennessee seems ready to move on. Ahead of its Week 6 game against the division rival Indianapolis Colts, Taylor was made a healthy scratch.
That kind of turn speaks for itself. After five games with the Titans, Taylor has already been deactivated, and the move makes the Saints’ decision to let him walk look a lot smarter in hindsight.
Given the size of the investment, Taylor may have been the worst-performing cornerback in football this season. His Pro Football Focus grade sits 101st out of 104 qualified corners entering Week 6, a brutal outcome for a player Tennessee expected to plug into a major role.
The fit never looked especially clean. Taylor brought disruption at the line of scrimmage, but his gambling style and trouble tackling in open space made him a shaky match for a defense that wants its cornerbacks to do exactly those things well. Tennessee is now finding out how volatile that can be.
He has been playing outside for the Titans despite having done his best work in the slot, and his final season in New Orleans was more uneven than electric. Still, the Saints chose not to chase him in free agency, and that decision spared them from getting tied to a deal that now looks heavy for Tennessee.
New Orleans does not have a surplus of elite defensive talent, especially in the secondary, but even so, matching that contract would have been a risky move for a team that remains in the mix in what could be the league’s most open divisional race. With the Saints also positioned to add a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft that could be used on a defensive back such as Notre Dame's Leonard Moore or Georgia's Ellis Robinson IV, Taylor’s price tag simply did not line up with where this roster is headed.
The Titans are the ones paying for that gamble now.
In Other News...
Saints Win Came With A Kool-Aid McKinstry Concern
The Saints got what they needed Sunday in a 34-27 win over the Giants, with Tyler Shough throwing three touchdown passes and Alvin Kamara helping keep the offense moving with a key 15-yard run. It was the kind of victory that can steady a season, but it also came with a side note on the defensive back end, where Kool-Aid McKinstry has been working through a stretch that has not looked like the player New Orleans expected.
Kellen Moore said McKinstrys recent issues have been tied to a collection of migraine symptoms and on-field trouble, offering some context for a performance dip that has been hard to miss. The Saints still walked away with the win, but McKinstrys status remains something worth watching closely as they sort out how much of this is health-related and how much is tied to what has been happening on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Defense Finally Showed The Identity Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Saints have spent much of the season searching for the kind of defensive edge that used to define them, and Sunday brought a version of it back at just the right time. Against former quarterback Jameis Winston, New Orleans came up with two interceptions, a haul that matched the teams total from the previous five games and helped tilt the game firmly in its favor.
Jameis Winstons rough afternoon also fit into a broader effort from a defense that got after the passer and made him uncomfortable throughout the day. One takeaway helped fuel a scoring drive that stretched the lead, and the overall performance gave New Orleans a much-needed lift as it notched its second win of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Stopped The Skid But One Lingering Problem Remains
The Saints finally got a win back in the column Sunday, outlasting the Giants 34-27 to snap a three-game losing streak and steady things for a team that badly needed a reset. New Orleans leaned on a productive ground game, piled up 176 rushing yards and came away with four turnovers, with Tyler Shough, Alvin Kamara and a pair of special teams contributors helping set the tone in a game that had plenty of momentum swings.
Even so, the final score still hinted at the same issue that has followed this group for much of the season: the Saints could not put it away cleanly. They survived a late Giants rally after looking in control for much of the afternoon, and the closing stretch served as a reminder that one solid win does not erase the work still ahead, especially if New Orleans wants to turn a relief result into something more stable. [Read more 🡒]