METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — Saints training camp kicks off this week, and one of the most intriguing battles will be at the cornerback position.
In 2022, Marshon Lattimore accounted for the one and only pick by New Orleans cornerbacks. The 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year would go on to play just seven games last season, while Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor missed four games each. All three were present during minicamp in June; and while Lattimore is solidified at CB1, the spot opposite him is open for the taking.
“Coach Woods is big on know his corners,” Alontae Taylor said of new defensive coordinator Joe Woods during minicamp, “knowing how to play the slot, but also playing outside. So I’m open to it, but I feel like I’m still competing for the outside corner job and that’s still my number one priority.”
In his rookie season, Taylor had 46 tackles, 11 pass deflections and three “close calls,” including what would have been his first NFL career interception that was called back on a teammate’s illegal contact penalty.
Taylor feels he is his own harshest critic, and with a year of “almost’s” under his belt, said he already feels like a veteran.
“It’s a lot better than last year. I feel like I belong now, and I kind of feel like an older vet. I’m out there making mistakes and kind of hard on myself right now about it because I kind of wish that I could just get it right now, but it’s just not happening. So I’m just going to continue to watch tape, ask coaches questions, and I’ve got older guys helping me out as well.”
While takeaway numbers were far from ideal, Paulson Adebo said the end of last season can have a trampoline effect.
“Trying to pick up where we left off last year, I think we finished second in passing yards allowed last year in the secondary. So I think this year we’re just trying to build on top of that and we got a lot of guys back and we got some new guys as well. So I think we’re very, very confident in what we can do this year,” Adebo said.
Under new defensive coordinator Joe Woods, both Adebo and Taylor have a “back to the basics” mentality.
Adebo: “He’s helping us be really attentive to our details. So I’ve loved everything that he’s done coming in.”
Taylor: “He’s big on technique and that’s what I like. I think technique is probably the most important thing as especially as a corner.”
After his one-year stint with Dennis Allen in Oakland, Joe Woods’ first year as defensive backs coach of the Denver Broncos ended with a Super Bowl win. In his first season with the 49ers, he was a part of their first playoff appearance in six years. And in his first season with the Browns as defensive coordinator, Joe Woods helped end an 18-year playoff drought.
So if anyone can turn the corner for Saints defensive backs, it’s him.
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