One point of contention among New Orleans Saints fans to start the season has been Isaac Yiadom. Many people following the team think they should bench him for rookie Quincy Riley. Yiadom starting could cost the Saints a compensatory pick and hasn’t played well to start the year.
The Saints signed Yiadom to a three year, $9,000,000 deal. This was seen as a good move at the time. He would be a valuable depth and special teams piece, plus he played his best in 2023 with New Orleans. However, fans' opinions quickly changed when the compensatory projection came out.
The Saints are currently in line to receive a fourth round compensatory pick from Paulson Adebo leaving for the Giants. However, the Saints would lose that pick if Isaac Yiadom passes a certain threshold of snaps played. As a rebuilding team, it may be wise to cut their losses and bench the veteran.
Isaac Yiadom hasn’t played well to start the season. It's time for the Saints to turn to Quincy Riley
Yiadom has been a liability to start the season. PFF has given him a 48.1 defensive grade, not good. He’s allowed 10 receptions on 12 targets for 116 yards during the first two weeks. Yiadom did make a few good plays tackling against the 49ers but that’s nowhere close to redeeming his play.
Fans are calling for Yiadom to be benched in favor of fourth round pick Quincy Riley. Riley had a strong offseason and pre-draft process but has yet to see a defensive snap. It’s hard to imagine him playing worse than Yiadom. Beyond the compensatory pick, starting Riley gives the Saints a chance to evaluate what they have.
If Riley does start, fans shouldn’t be overly critical. It’s important to remember that he’s a day three pick playing his first defensive snaps in the NFL. He’s going to make mistakes. His development over the season is what’s important.
The Saints have a key decision to make: do they continue to play Isaac Yiadom ,and lose their compensatory pick, or start rookie Quincy Riley, and see what you have in the future? Although Riley's a veteran, it may be wise for the Saints to turn to Riley.