As Isaac Yiadom makes his return to the New Orleans Saints, he’ll be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign. Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman believes Yiadom has a strong chance to do just that.
Yiadom left the Saints after the 2023 season and landed with the San Francisco 49ers. His stock was high that offseason. Injuries pushed him into a greater role and he turned that opportunity in a one-year contract with the 49ers worth up to $3 million.
Pairing with Brandon Staley could be good for Isaac Yiadom
Wasserman noted the one spike in Yiadom's career came in that 2023 season. He racked up 11 pass breakups and easily his best coverage grade of his career, 80.4. Comparatively, Yiadom had a coverage grade of 56.3 last season, and his 56.6 coverage grade in 2018 is the second best of his career.
Yiadom specifically excelled in zone coverage in 2023. PFF graded him with a 82.5 grade in zone coverage. That was top-20 in the league. Brandon Staley is going to play a lot of zone, so this has the potential to be a perfect fit for Yiadom.
Saints rookie CB Quincy Riley is Yiadom's biggest obstacle
Yiadom may be a good fit within Staley's system, but that means nothing if he can't get on the field. Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor are virtual locks at cornerback. Those two will most likely be your outside corners in base defense.
When New Orleans goes to nickel packages, which they'll frequently do, Taylor will slide inside as the slot corner. Yiadom could be the one to step into the void created at outside corner. Even if the Saints play their first defensive snap in base defense, there will be three or more cornerbacks on the field on a large percentage of snaps.
The Saints drafted Quincy Riley in the fourth round. Being a mid round pick isn't a high enough investment to say he's going to be handed the job, but it's enough to guarantee he'll be in the mix. Riley is currently sidelined with an injury. Once he gets on the field, the battle begins.
Riley is Yiadom's biggest obstacle for now. The Saints have interest in Asante Samuel Jr., but they have to wait for medical clearance to see if Samuel will be able to play in 2025. If he is cleared, there's a good chance he comes to New Orleans and is the new leader opposite of Kool-Aid McKinstry. He may even push to start on the outside in base defense.
Yiadom may have past success in zone coverage, but Samuel has past success in Staley's defense. The latter trumps the former. If Yiadom wants to have the bounce back season Wasserman thinks he can, Yiadom will first have to compete and win the role.