After suffering a knee injury in practice this Thursday, Saints second-round rookie Alontae Taylor has been placed on injured reserve, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN. The severity of the injury has yet to be revealed, but it was apparently severe enough to warrant a four week rest.
Taylor was a four-year starter for the Volunteers before entering last year’s draft, racking up 15 passes defensed and four interceptions over his career, including a 56-yard pick six last year in a win over 18th-ranked Kentucky. He was the Saints’ top defensive draft pick, brought in to provide some premium depth at the cornerback position.
After only playing on special teams in Week 1, Taylor was asked to step up in a crucial moment last week when Paulson Adebo exited the game with an ankle injury and Marshon Lattimore was ejected. Taylor responded to the pressure well to close the game, but this most recent injury will unfortunately delay the rookie’s development, immediately after receiving his first professional defensive snaps.
Adebo and Lattimore should continue to start, and the Saints have decent depth behind them still in veterans Bradley Roby and P.J. Williams. With Taylor’s absence thinning out the depth chart a bit, the Saints have called up practice squad cornerback DaMarcus Fields. Fields, an undrafted rookie, was a standout defender for Texas Tech in college and had significant playing time for the Saints in the preseason.
The rules for returning from IR only determine that a player must sit out for four games, so Taylor should be eligible to return in time for the Saints’ trip to Arizona despite that Thursday night game being less than four full weeks away.