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Is Martin Emerson Jr. a starter in waiting? The veteran cornerback will be competing for a key role at New Orleans Saints training camp later this summer, but for now he's one of several backups trailing Kool-Aid McKinstry on the depth chart. While McKinstry has his roster spot locked down, there's a little more uncertainty -- and opportunity -- for guys like Emerson on the other side of the field.
Emerson was highlighted for the All-Backup Team from ESPN's Bill Barnwell, who characterized him as "a young player whose career was altered by injury. Emerson had been a fine cornerback for the Browns, but before the 2025 season, a torn Achilles cost him his entire contract year. A shrewd signing by the Saints for $1.5 million, Emerson still has the upside to be our top cornerback if he's recovered from the injury."
Second-year cornerback Quincy Riley is still out in front after playing starter's reps in 13 games last year, but both Emerson and veteran backup Isaac Yiadom are in the mix. Those guys are watching and waiting to see if Riley slips up at training camp. And as Barnwell added later in his article, "Emerson held his own as a starter on one of the league's best defenses in Cleveland" with 29 passes defensed and four interceptions in his first two seasons. He had a rougher go of it in 2024, allowing five touchdown passes while getting his hands on five PBU's. That isn't a ratio you want running even.
Still, Emerson could return to form in Brandon Staley's defense. The Saints signed him after choosing not to address the cornerback position in the 2026 NFL Draft, despite having lost veteran starters Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo in subsequent years. He just may get his chance to turn his career around after an injury robbed him of a potential payday last offseason.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints CB makes ESPN's All-Backup Team, but could he win starting job?
Continue reading...
Emerson was highlighted for the All-Backup Team from ESPN's Bill Barnwell, who characterized him as "a young player whose career was altered by injury. Emerson had been a fine cornerback for the Browns, but before the 2025 season, a torn Achilles cost him his entire contract year. A shrewd signing by the Saints for $1.5 million, Emerson still has the upside to be our top cornerback if he's recovered from the injury."
Second-year cornerback Quincy Riley is still out in front after playing starter's reps in 13 games last year, but both Emerson and veteran backup Isaac Yiadom are in the mix. Those guys are watching and waiting to see if Riley slips up at training camp. And as Barnwell added later in his article, "Emerson held his own as a starter on one of the league's best defenses in Cleveland" with 29 passes defensed and four interceptions in his first two seasons. He had a rougher go of it in 2024, allowing five touchdown passes while getting his hands on five PBU's. That isn't a ratio you want running even.
Still, Emerson could return to form in Brandon Staley's defense. The Saints signed him after choosing not to address the cornerback position in the 2026 NFL Draft, despite having lost veteran starters Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo in subsequent years. He just may get his chance to turn his career around after an injury robbed him of a potential payday last offseason.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints CB makes ESPN's All-Backup Team, but could he win starting job?
Continue reading...
