Kool-Aid McKinstry: Everything you need to know

McKinstry finished the 2025 season with 76 tackles (59 solo) and 17 passes defended, including three interceptions, across 17 games. McKinstry finished tied for sixth in the NFL in passes defended during his first season as the Saints' No. 1 cornerback. The 2024 second-rounder also improved his consistency as a tackler while playing over 400 more defensive snaps than he did as a rookie. McKinstry should set himself up for a solid payday if he performs at a similar level in 2026.

McKinstry recorded five tackles (all solo) and a defensed pass in a loss to the Bears on Sunday. McKinstry played his usual every-down role and logged his highest tackle tally since Week 4. On the season, the second-year cornerback has 29 tackles and five pass defenses, including two interceptions, through seven games.

McKinstry recorded two interceptions among his three defensed passes along with four tackles (three solo) Sunday in a 26-14 win over the Giants. McKinstry came up huge for New Orleans to help the team to its first win of the season. Both of his pickoffs came in the fourth quarter -- the first came on a deep pass that McKinstry grabbed as his own five-yard line, and the second (on New York's next drive) took place on a short pass at the Giants' 45-yard line. The interceptions were the first two of McKinstry's NFL career.