Art Green's Path to the Giants' Roster Runs Through Special Teams

The New York Giants' cornerback situation in 2026 seemingly has all its answers at the top of the room, with Paulson Adebo, Greg Newsome II, Deonte Banks, and second-round pick Colton Hood.

Adebo had a decent season in his first year with the Giants and, despite not performing up to the level of his contract, remains solidified at the top of the room.

Newsome II joins the Giants from free agency on a one-year deal with Banks in the final year of his rookie deal. The hope is that one of those players will step into a starting role and provide consistent play this year.

The Giants drafted Hood in the second round, with many expecting him to be drafted in the late first round, and he will compete for early playing time.

Where the questions truly lie in the cornerback room is depth, as there are only one or two spots available between Art Green, Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Rico Payton, and Korie Black.

With John Harbaugh and Dennard Wilson leading the defense, the bottom of the room will likely be determined by coverage, run defense, and special teams contributions.

That’s where Green might have the competitive edge.

Art Green, CB

Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
EXP: 3 Years
School: Houston
How Acquired: FA-’24

2025 in Review

Green spent the 2025 preseason playing significant snaps on defense, with a minor role on special teams before making it through final roster cuts as a depth piece in the cornerback room.

During the preseason, he would play in the game against the Jets, catching two of three targets for 31 yards, before starting against the Patriots in the preseason finale, catching one of one for just four yards.

Once the regular season started, he didn’t play any defensive snaps on the year, but he was a major contributor on special teams until a hamstring injury sidelined him for almost the entire second half of the season, missing weeks 9-15 after getting injured in week 8.

Upon returning from injured reserve/designated to return, Green stepped right back into his special teams role, although this time he was no longer playing on the kick return team.

The team’s best gunner when healthy, Green was big, fast, and physical. Shame, though, he couldn’t master some aspects of the corner position. He’s got all the measurables but lacks the quicks and loose-hipped agility that the position requires.

Contract/Cap Info

Green originally joined the Giants in the summer of 2024, but after that contract expired, he re-signed with the team this spring.

His recently signed contract is a one-year deal worth $1,075,000 with no guaranteed money, meaning that if the Giants wanted to part ways with Green, there would be no dead cap penalty.

Green, like many players on the bottom of the roster, has a contract that is both a positive and a negative for his job security.

Because Green doesn’t make much comparatively, he will likely never be at risk of being cut as a way to create significant cap space, but with no guaranteed money, the Giants could choose to part ways with him as opposed to keeping a player that would incur a dead cap penalty.

The Giants' cornerback room already has Adebo, Newsome II, Banks, and Hood as virtual locks to make the roster, simply because of the dead cap penalty attached to their contracts.

2026 Preview

The last time Green saw any playing time on defense during the regular season was in 2024, leaving no film available to study of his most recent time against starter-quality players.

With the talent in the wide receiver room, even the depth defenders will face NFL-level contributors and be able to show that they can compete against quality options.

This summer, Green needs to prove that he’s capable of being a depth cornerback who wouldn’t be a complete liability for the defense if he’s asked to contribute, which should only happen because of injury.

The bottom of the roster is almost always made up of players who will be depth and special-teams players, especially with Harbaugh as the new head coach and his experience as a special-teams coordinator.

An area where Green likely has a leg up on the competition is as a special-teams contributor, where he played 87% of snaps across the nine games he played in during the 2025 season.

Versatility could be an area where Green can help to separate himself from the rest of the depth in the room, as he spent significant time in the slot while at Houston.

Of course, the expectation wouldn’t be for Green to play much there. Still, if the Giants can play around with roster spots by having players who can play depth roles at multiple positions and play special teams, they can use those spots elsewhere.

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