This was a little surprising. The New Orleans Saints shook up their secondary by starting rookie safety Jordan Howden, not Marcus Maye, against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It meant that most of their rookie draft class was active in a game for the first time this season — everyone but fourth-round quarterback Jake Haener, with sixth-round receiver A.T. Perry finally dressing out.
So what went into that decision? Maye was questionable to play after a hamstring injury limited him throughout the week; he was also listed with an illness on Friday’s injury report. So Maye was watching kickoff from the sidelines while Howden started next to Tyrann Mathieu over the top. When the Saints went into dime personnel (where Howden normally goes into games), versatile defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. got the nod.
Much like the case with Andrus Peat a few weeks back coming off an injury, the Saints appear willing to play Maye in an emergency, but they’d rather have him on standby while putting other players into the game. But Howden’s emergence as a starting-quality talent shouldn’t be overlooked. Few teams have drafted and developed defensive backs like New Orleans, and more positive plays from Howden will only open up more opportunities for him.
