Martin Emerson Jr. may have arrived late in the New Orleans Saints’ free-agency process, but he already has a clear lane to matter in training camp.
The cornerback’s addition gave the Saints’ secondary needed depth and, in the right scenario, another player with starting upside. That’s the kind of move Bill Barnwell highlighted when he built an All-Backup team, and Emerson was the lone Saints player to make the cut.
Barnwell pointed to Emerson’s injury before the season as the reason the Saints were able to land him for $1.5 million, calling it a "shrewd signing". He also noted, "Emerson still has the upside to be our top cornerback if he's recovered from the injury," a line that lands squarely in the middle of what makes Emerson so intriguing for New Orleans.
That upside is what makes his role worth watching. Emerson can be more than insurance for the Saints; he can push for a starting job.
At his best, he’s a legitimate option to start. At the other end, he’s still a strong piece of depth in the secondary.
Which version shows up will depend as much on Quincy Riley as it does on Emerson.
Riley enters Year 2 coming off a strong rookie season, and that has put him in position to open as the favorite opposite Kool-Aid McKinstry. But that edge doesn’t mean the job is locked down. It simply means Riley is the current leader for the spot.
Emerson has enough talent to make camp uncomfortable for him. The Saints may not begin with a formal CB2 battle, but that could change quickly if Emerson looks like the player he was in Cleveland or if Riley has anything less than a clean camp.
And even after camp ends, the pressure doesn’t go away. Riley will have a starting-caliber cornerback right behind him, ready to step in if needed.
If Emerson gets the chance and outplays him, the Saints won’t hesitate to make a change. His ceiling has already shown enough to make that a real possibility.
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