Aug 14, 2025; Carson, CA, USA; A New Orleans Saints helmet on the field during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Saints Standout Giving Himself A Shot To Play Vs. Cardinals

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 11:16 AM ET

The New Orleans Saints are preparing to take on the Arizona Cardinals this weekend to kick off the 2025 National Football League season and it sounds like there is at least a chance that cornerback Alontae Taylor will be ready to roll.

Taylor has been dealing with a groin injury, but returned to the practice field on Wednesday and Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports shared that he is "well ahead" of his initial injury timeline and has a chance to play Week 1 against the Cardinals.

New Orleans got a positive update on Wednesday

"Alontae Taylor says he’s well ahead of the initial timeline for his injury. Being back in time for Week 1 was a big thing for him," Nowak said.

Alontae Taylor at practice today ⚜️ pic.twitter.com/OUAvC5XAj6
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 3, 2025

Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune and The Advocate noted that this was the first time that Taylor had been at practice since August 8th and quoted Taylor saying he's feeling "healthy" right now.

"Cornerback Alontae Taylor returned to practice for the first time since injuring his groin Aug. 8 while the Saints were in Irvine, California for training camp," Paras said. "Along with Taylor, safeties Julian Blackmon (undisclosed) and Jordan Howden (oblique) and defensive tackle Khristian Boyd (hand) also participated in the session after missing part of last week...If Taylor is unable to go, the Saints would likely rely on veteran Ugo Amadi. 'I'm feeling healthy,' Taylor said. 'I'm feeling strong.'"

Last year, Taylor appeared in all 17 games for the Saints, including 15 starts, and had four sacks, 89 total tackles, 16 passes defended, two forced fumbles, and six total quarterback hits. He's a key piece of the Saints' defense so the fact that he was able to get in some practice time ahead of the opener is at least a positive sign. Right now, he's not guaranteed to play on Sunday, but things are at least trending in the right direction for him.

New Orleans will kick off the new season on Sunday at sCaesars Superdome with kick-off scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. (12 p.m. CDT).

More NFL: Saints $51 Million Star At Risk To Miss Week 1 Vs. Cardinals

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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