Giants Named Best Landing Spot for This Pending Free Agent Cornerback and Safety

Among the New York Giants’ list of priorities for retooling their roster this offseason, few are more important than beefing up the depth of their defensive secondary.

The Giants’ defense has dealt with its fair share of struggles at its highest level after leaning towards a youth movement over the past couple of seasons. Changes in leadership, lack of experience against top receiving talent, and nonstop injuries have hindered their success.

This past season, only one member of the group, safety Dane Belton, appeared in all 17 of the Giants’ contests, and only three players produced at an elite level overall.

With the two veterans, cornerback Adoree Jackson and safety Jason Pinnock, set to test the market as unrestricted free agents, the secondary is left with a core of youngsters who aren’t fully developed into premier ballhawks and ready to compete.

The good news is the Giants can seek out potential replacements— or reinforcements—via the same free-agent pool, as there are many options for cornerbacks and safeties. Pro Football Focus labeled New York as the best landing spot for a pair of free agent defenders in San Francisco 49ers perimeter corner Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga.

On Ward and his fit with the Giants, the outlet’s analysis said: “Ward's overall body of work speaks for itself, as he has posted strong 80.0-plus grades in both 2022 and 2023, showcasing his reliability as a top-tier cornerback.”

“The Giants’ secondary desperately needs reinforcements after finishing 26th in team coverage grade last season. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s heavy use of Cover-3 (35.6%, eighth-highest in 2024) aligns well with Ward’s strengths. Over his career, he’s allowed just 0.83 yards per coverage snap in Cover-3, making him an ideal candidate to help revitalize New York’s defensive backfield.”

Despite playing over a third of their defensive snaps in one of the most balanced coverages in football and the rest in a favorable quarters zone package, the Giants main contributors didn’t do themselves much justice in slowing down opposing pass catchers.

Their four most-used cornerbacks had at least 276 coverage snaps, one of which was Jackson, whose return is unknown. Jackson finished with no grade higher than 75.8, which went to Dru Phillips for his impressive duties as the slot man.

Within those four players' stat lines, three gave up reception percentages above 67.1 percent and 347 yards of receiving output (612 combined after the catch).

Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga (29) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

They certainly weren’t keeping the receivers limited in the freedom of their routes either, as the unit allowed an average distance of target as high as 17.0 yards. Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III were the biggest culprits, and they were supposed to become franchise cornerstones on the outside.

Regarding the rest of his career and first couple of seasons in San Francisco, Ward has put together one of his better campaigns that beats out the Giants' entire group in certain numbers. In the same areas, he finished the season with a 60.8 completion percentage for 412 yards and only 102 yards after the catch and kept his missed tackle rate below double digits.

Ward didn't get the most impressive grading in coverage, which was surprising since the 49ers had the fourth-highest-ranked team in the NFL, but he plays seriously aggressively and makes life harder for the pass-catcher to earn his keep. That includes allowing just 84 yards in man coverage, where he steps it up a notch while forcing five interceptions and at least 11 pass deflections in two of the last three seasons.

It’s fair to say his performance can be improved, but Ward is a player who has been on successful defenses during his two stints on Super Bowl-appearing franchises and knows what it takes. If he comes over to a system that better suits his skillset, there is a chance he boosts the Giant's secondary and cleans up some of the opposing damage while mentoring the younger guys in the room.

Meanwhile, Hufanga, the 23rd-ranked free agent on PFF’s list, would be another addition that the Giants could make based on his work as a single-high safety and how that will fit into the same Cover 3-led scheme that Shane Bowen likes to run and can be strengthened with new safeties coach Marquand Manuel who came over from the New York Jets.

Hufanga’s last two seasons have been marred by injuries, which have dipped his grades and limited him to just 171 coverage snaps in 2024, and can be a red flag for the Giants who want some consistency at the back end of their defense.

Still, in 27 games over the previous two seasons, Hufanga has displayed shades of the turnover-causing leader that New York once had in Xavier McKinney. He made at least 52 total tackles in 2022 and 2023 and added to those efforts with two sacks, two forced fumbles, and seven interceptions, one of which was taken back for a big touchdown.

With extra help up top in the quarters packages, Hufanga could step into a shared role with rookie Tyler Nubin, epically if Pinnock leaves in free agency, and provide a veteran presence that can help steer the secondary and fly across the field to assist in shutting down deep shots that have killed the Giants’ young core.

In back-to-back seasons, the 24-year-old hasn’t allowed over 100 yards on his watch and does very well at limiting damage against both the pass and run, the latter where he can play the underneath defender role and has collected 63 stops in his career to grade as high as 74.5 in run defense.

The 49ers aren’t coming off the heels of their greatest season in recent memory, but a lot of that had to do with the same ailments that ripped through the Giants' defense and left a grave experience gap for opponents to take advantage of.

What can’t be forgotten is that these two suggested names have helped them reach the pinnacle of the sport a couple of times within the last several years. That is a mountaintop they didn’t conquer, but one that the Giants have only dreamed of returning to since they last did in 2011.

So that’s really what matters most for the Giants in these two position groups—acquiring the depth and important veteran experience to put them back on the right track to success in the NFL.

Defensive talent has been their strength during their title runs, and it’s hard to mimic that when the front half has talent, and the back almost looks like sitting ducks who haven’t found their wings yet.

The Giants should expect to be active shoppers when free agency starts in a couple of months, and the secondary will be atop the priority scale. A mix of talented veteran ballhawks and the eager novices that flashed this season is what’s currently in their sights.

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