The Most Concerning Thing About the Giants' Roster

General Manager Joe Schoen did many good things to improve a four-win team last year, but there remains one major lingering concern that could come back to hurt the Giants.

Unless a football team is a player or two away from making a run, it's next to impossible for a general manager to fill every hole.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen is no different. Inheriting a four-win team with one of the worst salary cap situations in recent memory, Schoen was forced to prioritize resources. He opted to devote the bulk of his cap space (both to free agents and the incoming rookie draft class) to the offensive line.

That move was non-negotiable, especially after seeing quarterback Daniel Jones bounced around like a pinball for his first three seasons. But there is another looming move that Schoen will be forced to make because of the team's horrific cap situation that could create significant problems for the Giants down the line.

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That move also involves the anticipated release of cornerback James Bradberry, who, even though his numbers in 2021 weren't as good as those in his 2020 Pro Bowl season, is still the best cornerback the Giants have. Smart teams don't cut their best players, which would probably explain why the Giants have taken this long to bring the Bradberry situation to a head.

Schoen, who last week during an interview with WFAN said that a resolution regarding Bradberry would probably be coming sooner than later, is thought to have explored all avenues to salvage the situation.

In retrospect, a trade market was never a realistic option, not if Schoen was looking for something better than the third-round draft pick offer he reportedly received in a proposal.

Teams knew that they had the draft available to them if they wanted to get a younger, less expensive option. Look no further than the $7.04 million cap hit Sauce Gardner, chosen fourth overall by the Jets, will cost his team--far less than Bradberry's $13.4 million base salary alone.

 

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Teams also know that at some point, Schoen will have to pay the piper, or in this case, his draft class. Having the fifth-lowest ($5,929,475) cap space in the league, barring a major restructure agreed to by both sides, Schoen is going to have to move Bradberry off the roster to pay his 11-member rookie draft class and have some spare change with which to operate as the team goes through summer training camp.

So why then should a team give up precious assets to inherit a hefty base salary on a contract that ends after the 2022 season when they can wait it out and try to land Bradberry for a more team-friendly deal?

They shouldn't, which is why the Giants will likely bring this saga to an end to allow Bradberry, a player Schoen has said he respects, time to land with a new team ahead of training camp.

 

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But while the Giants will gain a financial windfall by releasing Bradberry, they'll also be creating a major hole on a defense that Schoen has otherwise spent many resources rebuilding for new defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale.

Martindale's defenses have historically been aggressive. To succeed with such aggressiveness, they must have a strong defensive secondary that can hold its coverage on the back end that split second or two longer to allow the guys up front to pound the opposing offensive linemen into submission.

Martindale saw firsthand what happened when the secondary wasn't as strong, that being last year in Baltimore when injuries tore through the Ravens defensive secondary. Although injuries were beyond anyone's control, the lack of a strong secondary made the Ravens defense look ordinary by its previously established standards.

The Giants, for what it's worth, didn't really get a chance to address cornerback in this draft, as both Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. were off the board by the time the Giants went on the clock at No. 5. New York added CorDale Flott out of LSU in the third round, a productive 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback who initially projects to the slot.

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The Giants also have Aaron Robinson (6-foot-1 and 190 pounds), who projects to be the incumbent starter opposite of Adoree' Jackson if Bradberry is released. Robinson, who missed the first several games of his rookie season while recovering from an abdominal procedure that cost him all of training camp, played most of his snaps (149 out of 268) as the wide cornerback.

Overall, Robinson allowed 57.1 percent of the pass targets against him to be completed for 153 yards (9.6/reception) and 61 yards after the catch. He recorded two pass breakups and allowed one touchdown.

"We are excited about (Robinson)-- just getting to know him, getting to see him move around the last couple weeks," Schoen said after the Giants concluded Day 2 of their draft.

"We're excited about him. I'm not going to make any predictions or anything in terms of playtime or any of that. We've still got a long way to go, but he's definitely going to be competing for a starting job."

Also likely to compete for that starting job besides Robinson and Flott are Rodarius Williams, last year's sixth-round pick coming off a torn ACL, Jarren Williams, an undrafted free agent from last year, and Darnay Holmes, primarily a slot cornerback his career.

Whether any of those players bring the same benefits to the defense as Bradberry is something the Giants will find out the rest of the spring. If it turns out that they aren't the answer, the Giants better hope that if they send Bradberry on his way in the coming days, there is another veteran out there willing to come in on a minimum deal to provide leadership and depth just in case. 

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