Best New York Giants Free Agent Options at Cornerback

The Giants’ cornerback room needs a veteran or two to complement the youth they’re trying to mold further in 2025.

Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Tre Hawkins III (37) celebrates his interception with safety Jason Pinnock (27) during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

For the past couple of seasons, something has been not working in the New York Giants' favor regarding their defensive secondary. 

The main issue is the overwhelming youth that needs more time before it can compete with the best offensive attacks in the NFL. 

Two seasons ago, the Giants adopted the mindset that they would shift towards developing their secondary with a fresh set of cornerbacks. 

The defense, which had a few veterans in 2022, was instrumental in helping the team make a run to the postseason. Still, they struggled immensely in coverage in a blitz-heavy system and finished 31st in the league in coverage grade at the end of that season.

The following offseason, the Giants parted ways with most of their veterans. They brought three rookie prospects in the 2023 draft to form a cheaper unit, notably Deonte Banks at the 24th overall selection, who would immediately be thrust into a starting role. 

The approach had a desired effect on the Giants' defense, forcing more turnovers (18 interceptions, which ranked third highest in the league). However, the position group faded deeper in most opponent passing metrics, including 21 touchdowns allowed, and only two players finished with coverage grades above 68.7, according to PFF.

Despite the change in leadership from Wink Martindale to new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen ahead of the 2024 campaign, the story stayed much the same. The Giants finished a 3-14 campaign with the 28th-ranked coverage team this past season.

The cornerbacks improved slightly in a more friendly zone coverage system as a group and were sharper in the red zone. Still, when injuries took their toll, the individual impact was felt as the Giants had to tap into reserves from the practice squad or off the street who weren’t ready for extensive work against premier receiving talent.

There also had to be some doubts about whether their previous draft selections had panned out, as Banks’ lockdown abilities from his first year receded in his sophomore rodeo. 

Cor’dale Flott has missed at least three games in his first three seasons, which hasn’t helped the perimeter spots he was tasked with playing this year. 

In terms of impending free agents, one of the Giants' lone veterans is Adoree Jackson, who had his second-best coverage stint in New York. A third reunion with Jackson is not guaranteed, especially after he wasn’t brought back to the Giants this season until the eleventh hour when depth was suffering before the opening weekend. 

The Giants need to add some valuable depth, particularly with one grizzled ballhawk on the open market to help out the cornerback room. The good news is there are plenty of options in both free agency and the 2025 draft class to help the position group compete better next season. 

Best Options

If the Giants are serious about boosting the success of their secondary in 2025, they might need to dedicate a chunk of their cap space to bringing in an elite-level coverage man. The impending free agent class has a few top-tier guys about to hit the open market, but they demand market values in the double-digit range per season. 

The Giants haven’t invested any serious money in the cornerback position since James Bradberry, who they released ahead of the 2022 season as a cap casualty before he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for a more lucrative deal. 

New York may consider bringing back a familiar face in Adoree Jackson for that reason and, of course, a cheaper contract. 

However, with his growing age, inconsistent production, and the uncertainty about whether the Giants' current regime envisions him being a long-term piece in their defense, the better route might be to bite the bullet and splurge a little on a surefire free agent who will elevate the unit and what they want to accomplish under Shane Bowen.

New York Giants helmets on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Best Options

If the Giants are serious about boosting the success of their secondary in 2025, it might require them to dedicate a chunk of their cap space towards bringing in an elite-level coverage man. The impending free agent class has a few top-tier guys about to hit the open market, but they are demanding market values in the double-digit range per season. 

The Giants haven’t invested any serious money in the cornerback position since probably James Bradberry who they ended up releasing ahead of the 2022 season as a cap casualty before he would sign with the Philadelphia Eagles for a more lucrative deal. 

There is the possibility that New York considers bringing back a familiar face in Adoree Jackson for that reason, and a cheaper contract of course.

However, with his growing age, inconsistent production, and the uncertainty with whether the Giants current regime envisions him being a long-term piece in their defense, the better route might be to bite the bullet and splurge a little on a surefire free agent who will elevate the unit and what they want to accomplish under Shane Bowen. 

Nov 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) raises his fist during the national anthem before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

D.J. Reed, Jets

Pro Football Network ranked Reed as the third-best pending unrestricted free agent in the cornerback position. Reed, 28, was one of the players I named earlier in the offseason as an ideal replacement for Adoree Jackson and a veteran influx of talent to the Giants’ secondary. 

Despite being a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Reed has ascended from a couple of promising seasons in San Francisco to become one of the highest-rated coverage players on the New York Jets defense. At the end of the 2024 season, he finished with a 70.1 PFF grade, which led the Jets among cornerbacks with at least 243 coverage snaps. 

He was also one of the key players that helped their defense finish as one of the best units in several major passing categories, including yards (4), touchdowns (2), and average yards per play (5). 

In 14 games as one of the starting perimeter corners, Reed notched 50+ tackles for the fifth consecutive outing and was one of the better tacklers in the Jets rotation. This problem marred the Giants in their secondary. 

Whether he plays in zone or press man coverage, Reed excels at getting a hand on the football and disrupting the pass. He has tallied 23 pass breakups in the last three seasons and owned an 18% forced incompletion rate that ranked second in the Jets secondary while allowing just 431 yards (123 after the catch) and two touchdowns for his best numbers in the last four seasons. 

Reed has been highly available to any team he’s played for and has a little bit of versatility in his blood with minor slot work in his tenure with the 49ers. He would likely fill a nice role on the perimeter alongside Deonte Banks and can serve slot time if depth becomes a factor again and pieces have to be reshuffled in the middle of the season.

Sep 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Michael Jackson (2) reacts after tackling Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Michael Jackson Sr., Panthers

One of the sneaky good candidates for a lower-cost free agent signing, Carolina Panthers veteran Michael Jackson Sr. should be on the Giants’ radar for another stealthy option on the outside. 

For the second time in three seasons, the 29-year-old Jackson played over 1,000 snaps in his debut season with the Panthers, setting a career-high of 1,204, with 1,103 coming as the team’s main perimeter corner. 

In that workload, he produced 67 solo tackles, which tied his career-best, an 11.5% missed tackle rate, and an allowed 66.7% opponent completion percentage, which improved from 68.8% in 2023. 

While he graded 68.1 in overall coverage and allowed 739 yards and four touchdowns this season, Jackson, at 6’1” and 210 pounds, has the size and length to be one of the stingiest man defenders in the NFL.

He finished tied for second in the position with 13 pass breakups this season, which led to two interceptions and only 207 yards against him. 

At one point in the season, Jackson was the league leader in the same category, meaning he had an eye for the ball, which made it difficult for opposing offenses to establish an early passing game through short throws and one-on-one situations. 

Playing in a friendlier system than he had in Carolina, which has less cap space to retain all its free agents, could help his zone coverage deficiencies. 

Jackson has a projected market value of $7.7 million per year based on a 3-year, $23.152 million contract. This isn’t a bad value for the upgrade Jackson could bring to individual matchups with premier receivers that burnt guys like Deonte Banks many times, and his durability is something the position group hasn’t had lately.

Dec 15, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson (21) celebrates with linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) after receiving a fumble against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Draft Factors

Replacing Adoree Jackson’s presence in the secondary won’t be enough to quell the Giants’ need at the cornerback position. 

They have a solid slot guy in Andru Phillips and others who can rotate into the second role there. This leaves the draft to recruit one more strong perimeter prospect to increase the depth and competition on the perimeter in camp.

After prospects like Travis Hunter and Will Johnson are likely taken off the board in the first round, the latest class has many options for Day 2 or 3 players that would benefit the Giants' defense. 

One of the higher-graded names could fall right into their laps in the second round if they seek to attack that area before moving to other positions on both sides.

Nov 30, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; California Golden Bears defensive back Nohl Williams (3) in action during the game between the SMU Mustangs and the California Golden Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Nohl Williams, California

At 6-1 and 200 pounds, Nohl Williams is the 12th highest-rated cornerback prospect on the Giants big board via PFF. It is another one of those lengthy defenders who can make a difference in getting the football to go the other direction. 

Williams stood out on the field for the Golden Bears, capping off his third season with an 80.0 coverage grade in 877 total snaps while allowing just 31 receptions for 350 yards and three touchdowns. He also forced seven interceptions and left a passer rating of 40.1 in his targets, both career-bests at the college level. 

Like the veteran Jackson in the previous section, Williams does an excellent job of getting an early jab on the defender and staying connected to him throughout the route. 

His ball skills are some of the best in the 2025 class, and that’s an element the Giants can’t use enough of, as they were constantly outmatched in the deep-range game with cornerbacks who couldn’t get their eyes on the football.

The one concern with him is his jumpy feet, which make him fall for fakes and get behind on quick releases by the opposing receiver. However, he has the intangibles of being a coverage nuisance if he plays the opponent right and sticks to the fundamentals.

New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) runs out of the tunnel prior to the start of the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Final Thoughts

As much as the Giants need to beef up their defensive front to carry the load of the team’s pass-rushing efforts, they also need to prioritize sharpening up the back level of the defense to have a cohesive unit that doesn’t get torched every Sunday. 

The Giants took a good first step by changing their defensive system to favor the secondary more. Now, they need to add valuable veteran talent to the position group, as the youth movement isn’t accelerating as fast as they would have liked. This has made them a metaphorical dart board for the league’s brightest passing attacks. 

The most successful football teams find ways to mold that perfect mix of veterans and novices who can be mentored under the former’s watch and form a homegrown core that soon becomes the answer for the franchise's long term. 

Whether they made the wrong picks or the New York landscape has been hard to navigate, the Giants' cornerback room has not performed strongly over the past few seasons, making that dream far from being a reality without some present experience to help the cause.

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