As the 2026 NFL season nears, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding the New Orleans Saints. After the way the team ended last season with Tyler Shough starting at quarterback, and all of the offseason additions, the Saints have become a popular pick for a team that could go from being worst in its division to first.
While New Orleans certainly has a lot of things going for it, fans should still have some concerns ahead of the season. The biggest concern was recently highlighted in an ESPN piece, where all 32 projected starting lineups were ranked. The Saints were ranked 26th, and NFL analyst Mike Clay pointed out that the team’s biggest weakness is cornerback.
Clay explained that Kool-Aid McKinstry appears to be a good corner. Selected in the second round of the 2024 Draft, McKinstry is entering his third season in New Orleans, and has consistently improved since being in the league. He will be a reliable option at corner for the Saints, but the problem is he will be the only one.
Cornerback room named as Saints’ biggest weakness ahead of 2026 season
As Clay pointed out, the other options at corner in New Orleans are Quincy Riley, who the team drafted in 2025, Isaac Yiadom, a 30 year old who has been around the league, and Martin Emerson, a free agency signing who’s coming off a torn Achilles.
The Saints are likely hoping that Riley can develop into a solid starter, or that Emerson, who started 33 games for the Cleveland Browns, can return to his old form. If one of those things happen, New Orleans should have a decent starting duo.
Unfortunately, that’s a big if, and even if it does happen, it doesn’t fix the issue of depth. The Saints could be one corner injury away from disaster, and that’s a situation that could halt all of the team’s promise. A bad secondary could force the Saints into a ton of shootouts, and while New Orleans’ offense is moving in the right direction, no team wants to make those kind of games a habit.
The Saints will need a corner besides Kool-Aid McKinstry to step up and prevent that from happening.
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