A Deep Look at the Giants' Cornerbacks Ahead of Training Camp

The New York Giants cornerback group was better than expected last year. But with the newest additions to the group, there's a pretty good chance you ain't seen nothing yet.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 5, 2021 10:00 AM EDT

The Chiefs. The Bucs. The Falcons. The Chargers. The Cowboys. The Raiders.

What do all these teams have in common--and what do they have to do with the Giants cornerback position?

The answer is those teams, all of whom are on the Giants' 2021 schedule, finished in the top-10 league-wide in receiving yardage last year.

These six teams are also likely a big reason why the Giants, whose pass defense finished in the middle of the pack last season--the group allowed an average of 237.9 passing yards per game, 16th in the league--ought to replace some of the quantity at cornerback with more quality.

Their newcomers include Adoree' Jackson and rookies Aaron Robinson and Rodarius Williams, who join holdovers James Bradberry, Isaac Yiadom, and Madre Harper. This tweaked position group should give Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham the arsenal he needs to run more man-to-man coverage.

"I know we didn't play a ton of man last year, but we picked spots to play man," Graham said last month. "We mixed up more zone, and then we had man in the past.

"I don't know what the recipe is going to be for this year yet. I don't want to be disrespectful of the guys that were here last year that aren't here. I mean, Adoree' brings another element, Aaron Robinson, Darnay, they bring another element to it. Will we probably be in more man? Possibly."

"We are going to try to do what's best for that game, that game plan. But you need to play man-to-man coverage in this league, period, point-blank, and obviously six wins last year, we didn't do enough on defense, so we are looking at all options, whether it's the blitz more, blitz less, play less zone, play more man--we need a whole lot of options."

Indeed they do because winning the NFC East will be challenging enough without having to worry about the strengths of teams outside of the division.

If the Giants can secure wins against five of Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, the Chargers, and Raiders--certainly a good possibility given the upgrade of talent to combat the high-flying passing games those teams have--even better.

The Personnel

James Bradberry, Adoree’ Jackson, Darnay Holmes, Aaron Robinson, Isaac Yiadom, Rodarius Williams, Madre Harper, Jarren Williams, Chris Milton, Sam Beal

The Finances

If further proof is necessary as to how serious the Giants are about shutting down the opponent's passing games, look no further than the financial investment the Giants have made in the cornerback position.

The Giants cornerbacks rank second in the league in salary cap dollars committed with a whopping $36,143,610 (19.49% of their salary cap). That's well over the league average of $19.44 million at the position.

(The Giants also currently have the highest number of cornerbacks, 14, signed to their 90-man training camp roster, one more than the Dolphins, who top the NFL for most money invested in the cornerback position.)

In terms of average salary at the position, the Giants cornerbacks are averaging $2,581,686 apiece, the seventh-highest average in the league.

Three out of the 14 Giants listed as cornerbacks--James Bradberry, Logan Ryan, and doree' Jackson--combine to cost $26,426,470. Bradberry is coming off a Pro Bowl season, and Ryan, more of a safety, probably should have been a Pro Bowler, so the Giants did get a nice return on their investment last year on Bradberry and Ryan. They are hoping for that to continue this year and for Jackson to follow suit.

The next tier consists of Sam Beal ($1.1 million) and Isaac Yiadom ($1.07 million) against the cap. Neither Beal nor Yiadom are roster locks.

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Position Questions

1. What are the plans at the slot cornerback?

Last season, Darnay Holmes played the bulk of the slot cornerback snaps (268 total, per Pro Football Focus) for the Giants despite having not played the position much at UCLA.

Holmes finished with a 97.0 NFL Rating, 13th out of 25 cornerbacks who played at least 50% of their team's slot cornerback snaps. This year, the Giants could be looking to lessen Holmes' slot snaps now that they have Adoree' Jackson and Aaron Robinson on board, two guys who can also function in the slot.

Robinson is the biggest of the three and will give defensive coordinator r Patrick Graham the option to better match up against taller slot options that opponents are turning to more and more. Jackson, meanwhile, gives the Giants added speed at the position.

In short, don't be surprised if the Giants use a committee approach at the slot.

2. Did the Giants overpay for Adoree' Jackson?

That's what one unnamed NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic. And that's an opinion that Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio apparently agrees with as well.

But this is what happens when your draft classes don't pan out. General manager Dave Gettleman, in trading up for DeAndre Baker in the first round of the 2019 draft and in spending a third-round supplemental draft pick on Sam Beal, no doubt hoped he was setting the franchise up for years at the cornerback position.

Unfortunately, Baker ran into some unwanted attention stemming from criminal accusations, from which he was later exonerated. Beal, for one reason or another, just hasn't been on the field enough to advance in his development.

Did the Giants overpay for Jackson? This situation is no different than when the Giants, after concluding offensive lineman Ereck Flowers wasn't going to work out here, had to go out and overspend on Nate Solder to plug the hole at left tackle. But if there is one major difference between the Solder signing and the Jackson signing, it's that Jackson, a Titans first-round draft pick in 2017, is younger and is not yet believed to have hit his ceiling.

But getting back to the overspend question, it's a matter of perspective. If the Giants were one cornerback away from making a Super Bowl run, some might view their spending of Jackson as being smart.

Because the Giants aren't one player away, the movie is viewed as foolish because it's money that could have been spent elsewhere.

What Would Surprise Me

Rodarius Williams makes the roster. Typically if a team is going to invest in a draft pick, the idea is to find a way for him to get onto the roster. But sometimes, the numbers don't add up, and that could very well be the case for Rodarius Williams, the second of the Giants' two sixth-round draft picks.

Williams's game still needs more refinement in playing press and zone coverage at the next level. Here's what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had to say about Williams in his pre-draft scouting report:

His size and expected straight-line speed will work in his favor. However, Williams might be lacking the natural athletic attributes to handle press duties and the instincts needed for zone. If coaching can tighten up his press technique, he might be in consideration as a Cover 2 cornerback with the ability to step up and support the run. He's become better at staying in phase with the route and can be a handful to deal with on 50-50 throws due to his size and physical nature. Finding a good scheme fit will be critical, but he has a decent chance of earning a spot as a backup.

If the Giants keep five corners and five safeties, the numbers might not work in Williams's favor. Bradberry, Jackson, Robinson, and Holmes figure to be the first four at the position (for the purpose of this argument, I'm putting Logan Ryan in the safeties group).

That would leave the fifth spot for one of Madre Harper, Isaac Yiadom, and Williams. The team has been particularly bullish on Harper, who attended the OTAs while most of his fellow defensive backs were down in Florida training as a group.

Harper, 6'1" and 196 pounds, has the compatible size to Williams plus a year of experience under his belt, making him an early favorite for a spot on the 53-man roster as a potential backup to both Bradberry and Jackson.

What Wouldn't Surprise Me

Sam Beal doesn't make the roster. Duh, right? But remember that it wasn't too long ago that the Giants thought enough of Sam Beal to make him a third-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft. General manager Dave Gettleman then doubled down on Beal the following year by disclosing that had Beal been in the 2019 draft, he would have had a second-round grade.

Beal does have talent--his Western Michigan college tape shows that. But he hasn't been on the field either due to injury--he missed his entire rookie campaign due to a shoulder ailment suffered after one practice, and then he missed half of his second season with a hamstring strain--or the decision to opt-out last year because of COVID-19.

While one can't knock a guy for opting out due to COVID-19, the cumulation of the time missed has put Beal so far behind where he should be at this point. As such, it would not be surprising if the Giants are looking to move on.

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