Kool-Aid McKinstry entered the offseason with a lot of excitement around his potential, and he's justified the hype in each phase of the offseason. The biggest challenge he'll is in front of him this week. McKinstry could go from justifying the hype to amplifying it in the New Orleans Saints joint practices versus the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams
McKinstry has been a steady performance, and steadiness is all fans have asked from him. He finished the season strong, and the goal this year is to stay strong rather than just finishing strong. He's off to a fast start in training camp, and his growth can be tracked in both the tangibles and intangibles.
While the matchup against Brian Thomas Jr created some intrigue, this is what we've truly been waiting for. McKinstry is going to go toe to toe with some of the best the league has to offer this week. If the cornerback has a strong set of days, we could go from being excited about the potential of McKinstry putting it together to discussing just how good he can truly be.
Degree of difficulty dramatically increases for Kool-Aid McKinstry, Saints secondary
All due respect to the Saints wide receivers, but this is a different level the starting corners are about to face. Even when Jordyn Tyson was healthy, he and Chris Olave had aspirations of being the duo George Pickens and Ceedee Lamb or Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are already at.
The first on the list is Pickens and Lamb. The Saints have joint practices with the Cowboys on Tuesday. The Cowboys' joint practice with the Rams last week showed Pickens isn't coming to play with opposing corners.
Pickens is a physically dominant receiver and quite the showman. If he gets a win over you, everyone will know and feel it. It also often looks worse than your average lost rep.
Even without the theatrics, Pickens exploded on the scene as the receiver his supporters always knew he could be. Lamb is a former All-Pro receiver, who has dealt with injury in the last couple seasons, but is a beast when healthy. McKinstry gets to take turns going toe to toe with each star receiver.
It only gets slightly easier a couple days later. Nacua may not be available for joint practice, but McKinstry will still get good work against Adams. Even as he gets older, the receiver remains one of the most crafty route runners in the league.
If all the reports coming out of joint practice are positive for McKinstry, the hype train could get out of control. He's an extremely important piece of the Saints defense in 2026 and possibly moving forward. A good week would leave no doubt that McKinstry is ready for the season.
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