Saints Player Rankings: Cornerback Janoris Jenkins comes in at No. 15

New Orleans Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins lands in the top-15, ranking 15th overall after appearing in just three games with the team.

Janoris Jenkins proved to be a big addition to the Saints secondary late last season, after starting cornerback Eli Apple was placed on IR in Week 17. Since entering the league, the Saints have struggled to find another quality cornerback opposite of Marshon Lattimore.

However, they may have found their guy in Jenkins, who has been known as one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL over the years. The Saints claimed Jenkins off of waivers, who was released by the New York Giants last season because of an inappropriate and offensive comment he tweeted at a fan.

Jenkins, also known as “Jackrabbit”, was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the then St. Louis Rams. He spent four seasons with the Rams, racking up 256 tackles, 10 interceptions and five touchdowns, proving himself to be one of the best cornerbacks in the game.

In 2016, Jenkins landed a five-year, $62.5 million contract with the Giants, making him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.

He exceeded expectations during his first season with the team, earning second-team All-Pro honors, while being selected as a starter to his second Pro Bowl of his career, and helping the Giants make the playoffs.

Nonetheless, his success did not last in a Giants uniform. In 2017, Jenkins struggled on and off the field. He was suspended a game by the coaching staff for breaking team rules and later suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November.

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Jenkins played solid in 2018 and 2019, totaling 124 tackles and six interceptions over that span. He did struggle at times, especially against Mike Evans last season, but the Giant’s lack of overall defensive talent around Jenkins more than likely had an impact.

The team’s underwhelming play, mixed in with Jackrabbit’s comments and unwillingness to apologize made the Giants decision to part ways with the eight-year veteran an easy one.

After being claimed by the Saints, Jenkins played extremely well, picking up the defense in no time at all.

I personally was most impressed watching him in the playoffs against Minnesota Vikings star wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. He played lights out, making Diggs visibly frustrated more than a few times and even forcing a fumble out of Thielen to start the game off.

On paper, the Saints no doubt have a great starting cornerback duo with Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins. Although Jenkins isn’t a top-10 player at his position anymore and definitely has his flaws, he’s still a great number two cornerback and is clearly an upgrade in the Saints secondary.

Even so, there are a few concerns with Jenkins since he is going to be 32 in October and does have a history of injuries. It’s also worth mentioning his past trouble with the Giants coaching staff which led to a suspension and his release.

Regardless, the Saints locker room is extremely strong and I doubt he’ll have any impact on the team in a negative way. If he can stay healthy and give the Saints one more year of solid football, he could bring the defense up to the next level.

Out of our 12 writers, Janoris Jenkins was ranked 15th and had an average rank of 16.8. He did not miss a single top 25 list. He comes in right after Erik McCoy, who was ranked the 16th-best Saint.