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METAIRIE, La. -- The only thing that stood out as much as Jairus Byrd’s absence from New Orleans Saints practice on Thursday was the presence of cornerback Patrick Robinson on the starting defense.

Robinson, who missed most of last season with a torn patellar tendon, was considered by many analysts to be on the bubble this offseason because of his rising salary and inconsistent production over the past two years. But the Saints have clearly remained committed to their former first-round pick.

It's far too early to rank the contenders for the No. 2 cornerback job with veteran Champ Bailey and third-year pro Corey White also heavily in the mix.

But it was good to see that Robinson will have a bona fide opportunity to get his career back on track.

"Look, he’s still a young player that we’ve seen develop,” Saints coach Sean Payton said of Robinson, who turns 27 in September. “He’s someone that can run, that we think has good instincts. So I’m sure he’s just as anxious as we are to get out here healthy.

“We felt last offseason he did a lot of good things. So he’s right there as one of the guys competing for playing time and for a spot at that corner position.”

CB Patrick Robinson getting chance to start fresh - ESPN

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mleg1972

Love this kid's game

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papz

The system fits his skill set, he's healthy, and the opportunity is there. It's time to blossom P-Rob. If he can play up to his ability, there is no stopping our defense. We can be virtually shut down everywhere.

Let's do the damn thing.

rezburna

What papz said.

Jack Vegas

I believed in him last offseason and he did nothing to make me not believe in him. IMO he was our best corner by far during last preseason and was going to work his way into the starting lineup ahead of Greer if he hadn't gotten hurt.

Marlboro Man

Can you explain how the system fits his skill set? Especially when we run a press man coverage and he struggles with press man coverage??

Rugby Saint II

P Rob will have to earn back my confidence. I'm all good for giving him one more shot though. I have much more faith in our 5th round draft pick White. He has a bright future I believe.

triman

PRob coming back from injury and claiming the #2 CB spot would bode well .

papz

Because he plays better in man coverage than zone. He has outstanding athleticism and while he may struggle jamming receivers at the line, we don't strictly press. He's tough to be deep and due to the fact we run a lot of formations with 5 or 6 defensive backs, even if he misses his initial punch, he has the speed to make up for it and/or he has elite help over the top. With his ability and the way Ryan gets the most out of his players, I can't help but be intrigued and excited of what he could possibly do.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.

Jack Vegas

We don't run press man coverage only. We VERY often do combo coverages to disguise things. Greer spent a ton of time last year playing off-man and even zone on his side while Keenan played up on the line. It wasn't until White became starter that we started getting really aggressive and putting everybody up on the line. That's risky; when you get beat, you get beat BAD. We're going to need players who can run down the field too.