Quest for Jobs Among Giants' Cornerback Group Promises to Be Highly Competitive

The New York Giants have made significant changes in the defensive backfield this offseason.

They said goodbye to Cor'Dale Flott. They retained Deonte Banks, much to the dismay of many fans.

They drafted Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood with their second-round draft pick. They also brought in former Browns and Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome II to compete for a job.

Maybe one of the biggest moves the Giants made was bringing in Dennard Wilson, the former defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, to be the Giants' DC.

The hope is that his style and ability to work with defensive backs can unlock the untapped potential of many of the aforementioned players.

Giants CB Depth Chart: Starters

Truth be told, this position group is as up in the air as they come in terms of the starters.

We’ve listed the three projected starters–two perimeter guys and one slot cornerback–but as we’ll discuss later in this piece, this position group is going to have a lot of competition as head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson try to figure out the right combination.

LCB Paulson Adebo: He lived up to his physical reputation. He only played in 12 games while dealing with an injury, but he amassed 73 tackles and 8 passes defensed. While it wasn't his best season, he showed that he had fully recovered from the leg injury that ended his tenure in New Orleans.

RCB Greg Newsome II: Newsome spent part of 2025 playing for the Cleveland Browns and the other part with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished with 9 passes defensed and 52 tackles, but he did not have his best season in coverage, allowing a few critical completions for both organizations.

SCB Dru Phillips: Phillips, who played in all 17 games last year, led the team with 12 pass breakups, intercepted 2 balls, and had 66 total tackles.

He brings a physical component to his game, but sometimes his overaggressiveness works against him, as evidenced by his 21 career missed tackles in two seasons (13.5% missed tackle rate).

He still has work to do in coverage, as he tends to get too grabby and doesn’t always trust his feet, but his reads and fills were quick and physical, which should give him an early advantage in any competition for his job.

Giants CB Depth Chart: Backups

New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Deonte Banks: Banks spent his 2025 season seemingly in and out of favor with the defensive staff. He had his effort questioned and his technique scrutinized ad nauseum en route to five pass breakups in six starts. He also showed he could be an elite-level returner, returning a kickoff 100 yards.

Korie Black: Because of all of the injuries suffered and because of erratic play, Black found his way onto the field as a rookie after being reacquired by the Giants from a brief stint with the Jets, after he was cut initially during training camp. He even started two games for Big Blue. He finished with 18 tackles and a pass defense.

Art Green: Green enters his third season with Big Blue. He has operated primarily as a special teamer, recording over 200 special team snaps in each of the past two seasons. That will likely remain his primary function for this team in 2026.

Rico Payton: Payton came over to New York after spending his first season in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints. In 2025, he played sparingly on defense and logged almost 100 special-teams snaps. He will be looking to fight for a roster spot again this season.

Nic Jones: Jones was mainly a special teams contributor, having started the season as a gunner.

In his handful of defensive snaps, he showed he has a good nose and instinct for finding the ball, but his lack of speed and athleticism hindered him from finishing plays.

Last season, he saw action in 13 games, tallying 6 tackles (two on defense and six on special teams, two of which were solo efforts). He also posted one pass breakup in the 20 defensive snaps he played.

Giants Drafted: Colton Hood

New York Giants cornerback Colton Hood | John Jones-Imagn Images

The team selected Colton Hood in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft with the 37th overall pick. He spent his final season at Tennessee, where he gained a reputation as a sticky-man defender, especially in press coverage.

He finished the season with eight passes defensed and an interception. Prior to Tennessee, he spent the year in Colorado learning under legendary NFL defensive back Deion Sanders, who was the Buffaloes' head coach.

What We Know: Expect more aggressiveness

New York Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has promised a more violent, aggressive Giants defense. | Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI

Most of the defensive backs on this roster excel at man-to-man coverage. The fact that Dennard Wilson is bringing in a defense that mirrors what Wink Martindale ran with the Giants bodes well for the use of these cornerbacks' talents.

Newsome became one of the better cornerbacks in the league because of his man-to-man coverage, so he will be hoping to regain the form he had at his zenith in Cleveland.

Banks will hope to regain the form he had during his rookie season playing in Martindale's defense. The rookie Colton Hood is a press coverage specialist. Paulson Adebo is a big, physical corner who excels when he can get his hands on receivers.

These players should be able to showcase their skills in this defense.

What We Don’t Know: Who is starting?

This coaching staff does not have the burden of playing favorites or of having to pacify players because of the draft capital or money invested in them. They need to find the best combination of corners to put on the field to improve their defense.

While it's highly likely that you see Adebo, Newsom, Hood, and Banks all receive playing time during the regular season, the question will be: who earns the starting nod? Adebo is the big-money corner on the team, but he didn't have a great 2025. So he will be looking to cement himself as the No. 1 cornerback on this team.

Across from him, the situation gets interesting because Greg Newsom was brought in as a potential starter, but Colton Hood was drafted with an early second-round pick as someone who can be a long-term option at the position.

Then there’s the wildcard in Deonte Banks. He seemed to have fallen out of favor with the previous regime, but he has a new lease on life with this new defensive staff. They run a system in which he has had the most success, and he is one of the most athletically gifted players on the team.

If he can find his form, you could see him starting opposite Adebo. However, if many of the issues that arose over the past two seasons continue, he might not even make the final roster.

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