Despite being the oldest team in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints have a few talented young players on the roster. One of those promising young players is defensive back. Through just two seasons with the Saints, Taylor has ingratiated himself with the fans because of his versatility in the secondary.
Taylor started his NFL career as an outside cornerback, the position he always played. However, in year two, the Saints moved Taylor inside to the slot cornerback position. The move resulted in a noticeable difference in Taylor’s performance, as he was clearly better on the outside. Still, fans stuck by Taylor, acknowledging his talent and willingness to move around in the secondary.
Now that New Orleans has made the decision to move on from safety Marcus Maye, there was a recent request from a fan for Alontae Taylor to move to safety, replacing Maye. Taylor made it clear that wasn’t happening, responding on social media to the fan with a simple “nah.”
Alontae Taylor has no plans to play safety
Taylor’s response makes sense; he’s a cornerback. If he’s moving anywhere, it should be back outside. That’s especially the case if Marshon Lattimore is actually traded like rumors suggest. Regardless, Alontae Taylor will be playing cornerback next season.
As for safety, the Saints will have options when it comes to replacing Marcus Maye. They could go after a veteran in free agency, select a young prospect in the draft, or turn to an internal option. The top internal option is Jordan Howden, who already plays safety.
This past season, as a rookie, Howden played in 16 games, starting seven. He recorded 43 tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble, and really flashed enough to sell the idea of him being the future safety of the team. Even if the Saints do feel that way about Jordan Howden, they will still bring in some competition and depth for the unit.
