Battle by the numbers: Alontae Taylor versus Paulson Adebo

Alontae Taylor

Taylor enters this position battle after an impressive rookie season in New Orleans. The former Tennessee Volunteer quickly found himself against some of the league’s top receiving talent after CB1 Marshon Lattimore was injured in week two and week five. Considering Taylor’s unexpected rise from second-round rookie to CB1, he very much delivered when Dennis Allen needed him most.

Paulson Adebo

Adebo, the former Stanford Cardinal, is on the cusp of his third season in the NFL. He played 13 games in 2022, and like Taylor, found himself against top receiving talent when healthy. Adebo was an unexpected shining star during the New Orleans Saints 2022 training camp. Expectations were high his sophomore season, but 2022 was an unfortunate step back from his 2021 rookie performance. Now with another year under his belt, expectations are even higher thanks to the position battle with Alontae Taylor.

Regardless of who is designated as CB2 for the season, both Taylor and Adebo will have a massive role to play in the defense. Taylor has been spotted getting reps in the slot position over the past few weeks at OTAs and minicamp, and we could see more of him there than we did last season.

There is plenty more to learn about both of these young DB talents. Training camp and the preseason will have massive implications for their roles in the secondary in 2023.

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