The New Orleans Saints made the kind of cut that tells you exactly how little room there was left for error at cornerback.
Isaac Yiadom is out, and while his preseason struggles made the decision easy to justify, it still leaves the Saints in a rough spot numerically. Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley were already locked in as the starting corners, but Yiadom’s departure strips away depth at a position where the margin for survival is thin. The Saints have lost both starting corners in a season before, and if that kind of thing happened again, they’d be staring at a real problem.
Yiadom’s play pointed this way all summer. He was the corner on the other side of the Barion Brown hype train in camp, and that matchup did him no favors. Those coverage issues carried into the preseason, and his release has now made him the team’s newest surprise cut, overtaking Terrell Burgess in that category.
The issue isn’t just that the Saints moved on from him. It’s what’s left behind. New Orleans now has only three cornerbacks on the roster, and that doesn’t even account for Yiadom’s special teams value.
Martin Emerson has looked like a strong pickup in the preseason, and he’d be the most obvious answer if one of the starters went down. But that only solves part of the equation.
The real concern is what happens if both McKinstry and Riley are unavailable. At that point, the Saints don’t just lack a trusted option - they may not even have another true cornerback to turn to.
That’s why the next move could come from outside the building. The most likely solution is to claim or sign someone who gets cut elsewhere and plug the hole that way. But there are a couple of in-house possibilities, too.
Defensive back Mike Reid made the roster, and LouisianaSports.Net’s Ross Jackson noted that he can play both cornerback and safety. Reid hasn’t been asked to show much of that outside versatility in the preseason, but he’s one possible emergency answer.
Jayden Price is another name to watch. He’s a cornerback by trade, though the Saints have been using him at STAR in the slot.
Price was productive as a cornerback in college and in the UFL, and his preseason has been strong enough to keep him in the conversation. Yiadom’s struggles were part of the reason some thought Price should get reps outside, but that didn’t happen.
Even so, his ball skills and overall toughness make him a real option if the Saints need one.
There’s also a simpler explanation: Yiadom could be back. Since he’s a veteran, he doesn’t have to clear waivers, which gives New Orleans the chance to release him now and circle back after roster cuts if that’s the plan. That would allow the Saints to protect another player who might have been a more vulnerable waiver risk.
For now, though, the Saints are left with a glaring hole at cornerback and no clean answer yet.
In Other News...
Saints Cornerback Shakeup Just Took Another Veteran Off The Board
Isaac Yiadoms second run with the Saints ended in the final roster cuts, and the veteran cornerback has already landed a new opportunity with the Washington Commanders practice squad. Yiadom had been back in New Orleans after previously spending time with the club, and he managed to appear in 14 games last season before the Saints moved in a younger direction at the position.
For a defense that has spent the offseason reshaping its cornerback room, Yiadoms departure fits the broader trend of leaning into youth and competition. The Saints are clearly moving forward with a different mix on the back end, and his quick next stop only underscores how many teams still view experienced defensive backs as useful depth even if they are no longer part of the immediate plan in New Orleans. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Have A Quiet Post-Cut Battle Fans Should Watch
With the initial 53-man roster in place, the Saints are now moving into the next quiet but important phase of roster building: sorting out who might circle back on the practice squad. The club is also keeping an eye on a possible extra spot through the International Player Pathway program, which adds another layer to a process that often ends up shaping depth as much as the roster cuts themselves.
A handful of players stand out as possible priorities if they make it through waivers, including Zamir White, Charlie Smyth and Hunter Dekkers. The group is a mix of useful depth pieces and developmental bets, the kind of names that can disappear in the cutdown rush but still matter once injuries, special teams needs and long-season attrition start to hit. For the Saints, the next move is less about headlines than about making sure the right pieces are still available when the practice squad comes together. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Just Added Two New Line Options Before Week 1
The Saints added a little late-August insurance after the NFL roster cuts deadline, claiming offensive tackle Mason Murphy from the Bears and defensive lineman Colby Wooden from the Colts. It gives New Orleans another chance to reshape both the offensive line and the interior front as the team turns its attention toward Week 1, and it also brings in two players who already have some NFL experience and a shared college background at Auburn.
Murphy and Wooden are expected to factor into a roster picture that is still being sorted out, because the Saints now have to clear two spots to make the claims official. Whether that comes through additional cuts or by moving players to injured reserve, the move signals that New Orleans is still looking for answers in the trenches before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]