{"id":253000,"date":"2025-11-01T10:38:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T14:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=253000"},"modified":"2025-11-01T10:38:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T14:38:30","slug":"top-5-trade-destinations-for-saints-playmaking-defender-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/11\/01\/top-5-trade-destinations-for-saints-playmaking-defender-ranked\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Trade Destinations For Saints Playmaking Defender, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 NFL trade deadline is just days away, and New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor could be the next player to find a new home. Selected out of Tennessee in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft<\/a>, the cornerback is enjoying what is easily the best season of his career. Appearing in all eight games while making seven starts, the cornerback has defended four passes while recording one sack, 27 tackles, and a 64.3 PFF grade, the 40th-best mark out of 113 eligible cornerbacks.<\/p>\n

Top 5 Alontae Taylor Trade Destinations, Ranked<\/h2>\n

Now playing in the final year of his contract, the 1-7 Saints have every reason to trade Alontae Taylor to the highest bidder. Their playoff hopes are nonexistent<\/a>, and the cash-strapped Saints probably don’t have the money to re-sign him. Taylor isn’t a lockdown cornerback by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s a solid starter and can help slow down opposing passing attacks. That alone justifies a decent return in a trade, and any of the following five teams could make an offer.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Stephen Lew – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

5. Minnesota Vikings<\/h3>\n

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores<\/a> is one of the best defensive minds in football, but he needs cornerbacks to make his aggressive scheme work. While Isaiah Rodgers is having another solid season, Byron Murphy took a major step back following an impressive 2024. This defense is good enough to confuse subpar quarterbacks, but it’s not good enough to stop the good ones. That’s bad news when you share a division with Jordan Love, Jared Goff, and former first-overall pick Caleb Williams.<\/p>\n

An Alontae Taylor trade could give Minnesota the starting-caliber cornerback they so desperately need. He’s no Patrick Surtain, but Taylor can start for this team, and a coach like Flores should be able to get the most out of him. Given the uncertainties on the other side of the ball, an improved defense might be this team’s best shot at reaching the postseason.<\/p>\n

\"Miinnesota
Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell (left) and assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Denver Broncos<\/h3>\n

The Denver Broncos would never trade for Alontae Taylor if Patrick Surtain were completely healthy. However, the lockdown cornerback and leader of the defense suffered a pectoral injury that will sideline him indefinitely. While he won’t go on the injured reserve, it’s impossible to know if he’ll play like his old self when he does return to the field.<\/p>\n

Given the uncertainty surrounding their star player and the insane level of competition within the AFC West<\/a>, the Broncos should consider adding Alontae Taylor. In the short term, the Saints veteran could start and allow Denver to keep one of the best secondaries in football. Taylor might play a smaller role if and when Surtain returns, but you can’t have too many cornerbacks when you share a division with MVP candidates in Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Broncos
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Baltimore Ravens<\/h3>\n

The Baltimore Ravens salvaged their season with their two-game win streak, and now it’s time for them to go on the offensive and re-establish themselves as Super Bowl contenders. This offense will be elite as long as Lamar Jackson is healthy<\/a> and under center, but the defense isn’t playing up to their talent. Nate Wiggins is decent, but he hasn’t made the anticipated Year 2 leap as of this posting. Marlon Humphrey, meanwhile, fell off a cliff, and veteran Jaire Alexander was a healthy scratch<\/a> against the Dolphins.<\/p>\n

The Ravens need another quality cornerback, and Alontae Taylor might just be the best option on the trade block. Despite their record, Baltimore has all the pieces it needs to turn it around and compete for a playoff spot. If you add Taylor into the mix, then there’s no reason to think they cannot hoist that elusive Lombardi Trophy for the first time since the 2012 season.<\/p>\n

\"Ravens
Oct 5, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh stands on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Chicago Bears<\/h3>\n

The Chicago Bears remade their roster in one offseason, and most of the results worked out for the best. However, Ben Johnson’s squad never quite figured out the cornerback position, and the inability to stop other teams through the air could keep them out of the postseason. Tyrique Stevenson is a star<\/a>, but Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud are active liabilities.<\/p>\n

If this team wants to compete, they should strongly consider an Alontae Taylor trade. Former first-overall pick Caleb Williams has improved from his up-and-down rookie season, but he’s still not capable of beating every single opponent in a shootout. This team needs a better defense, especially considering they play in arguably the game’s toughest division.<\/p>\n

\"Bears
Sep 14, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Dallas Cowboys<\/h3>\n

The Dallas Cowboys have arguably the NFL’s best offense as franchise quarterback Dak Prescott is in the midst of his best season<\/a>. Unfortunately, these results don’t really matter, as the defense is a disaster. Despite the offensive accolades, Dallas is 3-4-1 thanks to their atrocious inability to stop anything through the air or on the ground. While pass rush is the biggest concern, the team should also consider an Alontae Taylor trade.<\/p>\n

Prescott is playing well enough to carry just about any team on a deep playoff run, so long as the defense isn’t an active liability. Alontae Taylor won’t turn the Cowboys into a top-five defense, but his presence could make the unit slightly below-average. That alone might be all the help the Cowboys offense needs to earn a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n

\"Cowboys
Sep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the sidelines before the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New Orleans Saints will probably sell at the trade deadline, and Alontae Taylor may be the best cornerback on the market<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":253001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,10,23,19,15,26,28],"tags":[9976,7638,7659],"class_list":["post-253000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-ravens","category-bears","category-cowboys","category-broncos","category-vikings","category-saints","tag-alontae-taylor","tag-ravens-featured","tag-saints-featured"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253000"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253163,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253000\/revisions\/253163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}