Giants Defensive Secondary's Youth Movement Showed Promise

The New York Giants defensive backfield took on a much different look in 2023, oe that showed promise for the future.

The Giants plugged in two new starters in their four-man defensive base, rookie Deonte Banks at cornerback and Jason Pinnock at strong safety. The Giants also phased out Darnay Holmes from the slot cornerback spot in favor of Cor'Dale Flott.

There were other moves the Giants tried to make, which yielded mixed results. Following a strong summer showing, sixth-round draft pick Tre Hawkins from Old Dominion worked his way into the cornerback starting lineup, allowing now-former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to shift Adoree Jackson down into the slot.

Hawkins struggled when the games counted for real, and it wasn't long before the Giants returned to a one-two punch of Banks and Jackson on the perimeter.

The young defensive secondary is a promising-looking group. Banks more than lived up to his billing as a CB1 once things started slowing down for him. Despite his struggles, Hawkins showed flashes and should be better moving forward. Safety Dane Belton, who stepped in for Pinnock when he was injured at the end, showed some promise as a potential ballhawk.

Still, the Giants have some questions moving forward, the biggest of which is what to do with pending unrestricted free agent Xavier McKinney. McKinney views himself as the top safety in the league and wants to be compensated accordingly, which could put him out of the Giants' price range.

Can Hawkins take a big enough leap to be CB2, opposite Banks? The Giants are unlikely to retain Adoree Jackson, who is headed to free agency, so that is a glaring question that needs to be addressed.

And is Flott best suited for the slot cornerback role?

These and more questions about the defensive secondary's depth are among those that need to be addressed this off-season. But before we turn the page--that's for another article--let's take a last look at 2023.

Adoree Jackson

Set to be a UFA, Jackson, previously the CB1 for this team, is unlikely to be back as the Giants are committed to a youth movement. Nor should he be re-signed for several reasons.

Jackson never made it through a full year in his three seasons with the team. While he's been a good cover and zone corner, he's also been a below-average tackler. Jackson still has value, but not as a starter and not worth a raise from his last contract, which we suspect he'll try to get.

Deonte Banks

The new CB1 on this team lived up to his draft-day pedigree, especially in one-on-ones. Where he struggled most, though, was when teams started throwing combination routes at him. That, however, will work itself out as he dives even further into the pro gram's intricacies.

Overall, Banks’ speed, size, and athleticism are top-notch, as is his physical style of play. As the mental part of the game continues to come his way, Banks will be even better in years to come.

Cor’Dale Flott

The Giants moved Flott to the slot, where he allowed 36 of 55 pass targets to be complete for 368 yards (253 after the catch), three touchdowns, one interception, and a 95.1 NFL rating. A concern with Flott is that he remains thin. He plays a physical game and never hesitates to stick his nose into the action.

He’s an aggressive press corner with enough catch-up speed to match up with anyone. Flott plays with instinct and with toughness. But he also missed three games due to various injuries from the disparity in his style of play versus his opponents.

Nick McCloud

McCloud is one of those “complementary core” guys who’s not quite good enough to be a starter, but he always plays a tough, physical game every time he steps on the field. He proved his value on special teams, where he was arguably one of the best cover guys--he paired well with Danray Holmes as a gunner on the punt coverage team.

As a corner, he is more of a match-up zone style, not a press one. He did a good job of keeping the ball in front of him and played a tough, physical game.

Darnay Holmes

While Holmes found a niche on special teams as a gunner, he lost his slot cornerback role this past season to Flott. On defense, Holmes remained grabby, but he did show a sense of toughness and was particularly solid in covering receiver screens.

Tre Hawkins

One of the surprises of training camp was that this 6th-round small school corner prospect played so well this summer that the Giants moved Adoree Jackson into the slot so the rookie could start Opening Day on the boundary. That experiment did not last very long as Hawkins was overwhelmed by the complexities and talent of the Dallas passing game.

Oddly enough, Hawkins didn’t get another start till Week 7 and then in Week 11, both against Washington and both wins. In each of these three starts, Hawkins accumulated significant tackle totals simply because he allowed so many completions in front of him, and he tackles well.

Hawkins has the physical tools to be a solid cornerback in this league; once he catches up to the mental part, the Giants will have something there.

Aaron Robinson

Robinson spent the entire season on the PUP list after missing most of the prior year with a season-ending knee injury (ACL and MCL). He's under contract for next year, so perhaps if he's finally healthy this spring, he'll make a legitimate push for a spot in the cornerback room, which could use some depth.

Xavier McKinney

McKinney had his best season as a pro, recording a career-high 116 tackles and intercepting three passes while playing every role asked of him in the Giant's defense. He was also one of two Giants to play every single snap (Bobby Okereke being the other). That career year convinced McKinney, who seemed to take more chances and with success this past season that he was one of the top safeties in the league (agreed) and should be compensated accordingly. The only chance the Giants have at retaining McKinney is if the market doesn't develop for him as he expects.

Dane Belton

Belton will likely be next in line for the starting job if McKinney departs. Belton spent the 2023 season mostly as a dime back, though he stepped in for the injured Jason Pinnock at the end of the season. Belton did a nice job of finding the ball in his increased reps, coming up with two interceptions and a fumble recovery in Week 16. That ability to find the ball will surely get Belton a long look this summer if McKinney does depart and that starting strong safety role opens. That said, Belton needs to take better angles in the open field, where most of his eight missed tackles happened.

Jason Pinnock

Pinnock stepped into the starting lineup after the Giants lost Julian Love in free agency and didn't disappoint. A hard hitter and reliable tackler, Pinnock was easily the defensive secondary's best blitzer, recording an impressive 33 percent pass-rush win rate, the best of the Giants defensive secondary by a country mile. His season was cut short due to a foot injury, but not before he logged 85 tackles, two interceptions, and two sacks.

Gervarrius Owens

Owens flashed during the pre-season but was mostly inactive once the regular season began.

Follow and like us on Facebook
Submit your questions for our mailbag
Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel