Story by
Saints waive rookie free agent just one month after signing him
- Story by
- Saints waive rookie free agent just one month after signing him
This is a tough break for Jeremiah McClendon. The former Southern Illinois cornerback was waived by the New Orleans Saints just one month after signing with the team, as a corresponding move to the addition of veteran linebacker Jackson Sirmon . New Orleans drafted a couple of defensive backs and signed former Cleveland Browns starter Martin Emerson Jr. after the 2026 NFL Draft, so the need for depth at another position made McClendon the odd man out.
How the pecking order shakes out remains to be seen. The Saints are expected to start Kool-Aid McKinstry at one spot with either Emerson or second-year pro Quincy Riley manning the other side; whoever loses that battle in training camp could move inside to cover the slot. Veteran backup Isaac Yiadom is still in the mix and the Saints have a couple of versatile defensive backs in Julian Blackmon , Terrell Burgess , and Beanie Bishop ( who will miss the first three games with a suspension ) to look at, too. Guys like Rejzohn Wright , Jayden Price , Dalys Beanum and Elliott Davison are also returning from last year's roster.
Good luck to McClendon in his next opportunity. The Saints only guaranteed him $15,000 in his signing bonus so there won't be much of a salary cap impact from moving on so soon. He got some valuable snaps at their recent rookie minicamp and shown he has the size and movement skills to compete in the NFL. Right now there are just too many other options with rookies like Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Ohio State), TJ Hall (Iowa), and DaShawn Jones (Alabama) installing the playbook.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints waive rookie CB Jeremiah McClendon just one month after signing
