Paulson Adebo Explains Why He’s So Enthused by NY Giants Defense

Pauson Adebo pointed to one common thread about the NY Giants defense that has him so encouraged.

June 12 - NY Giants CB Paulson Adebo speaks to the media following an OTA practice. | Patricia Traina | New York Giants On SI

The more time NY Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo spends with his new teammates, particularly those in the defensive backs room, the more he’s finding there is to like about the group.

“Some of the guys are young, but they're definitely wise beyond their years as far as being able to take coaching and also being able to lead as well,” he said Thursday following the team’s ninth OTA. 

“I feel like we have a group of leaders, me, (safety) Jevón (Holland) and then (safety Tyler) Nubin, but everybody, I feel like, you know, (cornerback) Dru’s (Phillips) doing his thing, (cornerback Deonte Banks) Tae’s doing this thing, (cornerback Cor’Dale Flott) Flott’s doing this thing. 

“Then we got guys like (safety) Dane Belton--he, like everybody collectively, is really coming together. So, I can’t say enough good things about the group that I came into.”

That has to be music to the organization’s ears, especially after last season when a relatively young defensive backs group had more than its fair share of struggles. 

Between injuries and performance issues, the Giants' defensive secondary had its share of problems, particularly on deep passes of 20+ air yards, which saw the Giants finish 26th, according to NFL Pro. 

NY Giants made key offseason changes to deense's back end

That Giants' defensive struggles on the back end, punctuated by the regression of 2023 first-round draft pick Deonte Banks resulted in head coach Brian Daboll revamping the unit's coaching staff.

Daboll replacing Jerome Henderson (cornerbacks/passing game coordinator) and Mike Trier (safeties) with Jeff Burris (cornerbacks) and Marquan Manuel (Secondary Coach/Passing Game Coordinator), both of whom are assisted by Mike “Pop” Adams, a former NFL defensive back.

The hope now becomes that with a much more aggressive defensive front that’s able to get after the quarterback a lot faster than perhaps in the past and another year in defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s system, the back end of the defense will better hold up against some of the more challenging passing games it will see in the coming season.

Members of the NY Giants defensive secondary. (Nic Jones, Dane Belton and Raheem Layne) | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Adebo, who, when asked to describe Bowen’s schemes, called them “a very good one” because of their ability to adapt and be successful against anything that’s thrown their way, said he’s seen the defense start to come together as a whole this spring even though the practices have been of the non-contact variety.

“Yeah, I think it can fit together really well,” he said. “I think we're doing a great job of communicating and a really good job of executing and being on the same page. So that's one of the big things about being a cohesive defense, and I think we're doing that.” 

Once the pads do go on, Adebo thinks the defense as a whole will take a quantum leap. 

“I think just everybody's really locked in and doing their job, executing the details, and then playing with a lot of energy,” he said. “Like guys are really fun to play with, and that helps to be able to have fun out there.”

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