No Deal Yet For New Orleans Saints Cornerback That Revitalized Career, Set To Visit With Another Team
NEW ORLEANS -- This one is a little surprising. Usually, when the New Orleans Saints have a player they really like, they are willing to do what it takes to keep them. However this offseason they have already seen the departures of linebacker and pass rusher Zack Baun to the Philadelphia Eagles, defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to the Denver Broncos and defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. to the Houston Texans. Perhaps most concerning though is the potential lose of cornerback Isaac Yiadom.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Yiadom will be taking a visit with at least the Washington Commanders. Fowler also notes that several other teams have interest.
New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom (27) celebrates an inception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Oct 1, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom (27) celebrates an inception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports
The interest makes perfect sense. Yiadom is an remarkably technical cover corner that just put up his best career season with the Saints in 2023. He reeled in his second career interception after not having one since his rookie year in 2018. He also added a whopping 14 passes defensed as well. He had only had 12 in his career going into last year and doubled his total under the tutelage of Saints defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson.
Per Pro Football Focus, Yiadom also led the NFL in forced incompletion percentage among all corner that took at least 300 coverage snaps. His 30% was paired with three touchdowns allowed. He may not have been perfect, but he sure was reliable in 2023. Not bad for a guy that was originally brought in to help as a core special teamer before developing and blossoming into a standout cover corner.
Robertson has a track record of developing talent in the secondary, and clearly that work had paid off for Yiadom on the field. Now, it may pay off the field too. With as much interest as it sounds like the Boston College alum is getting, he may end up with a nice deal. In New Orleans or otherwise.
If Yiadom does depart, it could be a pretty strong indicator that the Saints do not expect to move on from starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Though both decisions will be made independently of one another and the team does still have two options at boundary corner with Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor on the roster. Either way, it feels like a downward spiral to lose one of your replacement options and then willingly trade away the top option.
While the potential departure of Yiadom is an unfortunate possibility, it is not a loss yet. The visit could simply be more about learning what his market has to offer to before choosing to eventually stay in the Big Easy. The Saints would like to keep him, but his market will dictate the viability of that option.
If he does end up signing with another team, all eyes will immediately be fixed on the ongoing situation around the Saints and Lattimore.
