New York Giants 2022 Training Camp Roster Preview: OL Korey Cunningham

Can reserve offensive tackle Korey Cunningham hold off the hungry youngsters behind him that are vying for his roster spot?

Offensive tackle Korey Cunningham was originally a seventh-round draft pick (No. 254 overall) by the Cardinals out of Cincinnati in 2018. The 6-foot-6, 311-pound native of Montevallo, Alabama, started 24 out of 33 games at left tackle for the Bearcats, allowing 42 quarterback pressures over four years for a 97.6 pass-blocking efficiency rating.

In his rookie season with Arizona, Cunnigham was primarily a healthy scratch until Week 11 of the season, when he was called upon to start at left tackle in place of D.J. Humphries. Cunningham remained in the starting lineup for the Cardinals through Week 16 when a season-ending foot injury cut short his campaign.

Cunningham was traded to New England during final roster cutdowns the following year in exchange for a 2020 sixth-round draft pick. He played that first season sparingly for the Patriots, appearing in just 59 snaps on offense, those coming in Week 2.

He continued to be deployed in a reserve capacity in 2020, appearing in 46 total snaps at left tackle and some at left guard in appearances spread out over Weeks 8-13 and again in Week 17.

Cunningham signed with the Giants practice squad one week into the 2021 season. A little more than a month later, when injuries started to cut into the offensive tackle depth, he was signed to the 53-man roster, where he took snaps at both left tackle and right tackle.

Cunningham has a career 94.2 pass-blocking efficiency rating, allowing 29 pressure sin 315 pass-block snaps.

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What He Brings

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Cunningham's best attributes are his size and physicality. However, he doesn't possess the niftiness and athleticism to hold up against starting quality defenders,

Coming out of college, some of the knocks against Cunningham included his body control, balance, and strength. Not known as a technician, Cunningham has struggled with controlling his man and has been nabbed for holding after ailing to keep his hands inside his man's framework.

His Contract

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Cunningham signed a one-year veteran salary benefit deal in March worth $1.035 million, including a $25,000 roster bonus. If he makes the 53-man roster, he'll count for just $920,000 against the salary cap or .4 percent of the 2022 cap.

The Giants will receive the full $920,000 cap credit if Cunningham does not make the roster.  

Roster Projection/Expectations

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Cunningham, who was brought in due in part to former head coach Joe Judge's familiarity with the player, is the kind of player that can give a team a few snaps as needed in relief of an injured starter, but he's probably not going to be much more than that. It would have been interesting to see if he could hold off Matt Peart, who is recovering from a late-season torn ACL, in the battle for the reserve tackle spot.

That said, given how the Giants have been working third-round draft pick Joshua Ezeudu at left tackle while Andrew Thomas recovers from an off-season ankle injury, Cunningham's hold on a roster spot would appear to be shaky at best.

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