Come the start of the regular season, and the New York Giants might be deploying Sam Beal as their number two cornerback. With DeAndre Baker still facing legal issues and the Giants wanting nothing to do with him until those are resolved, they will have to find a supplement. Beal seems like the obvious choice to answer the call, but he doesn’t have much live experience due to a number of injuries.
Beal was selected in the supplemental draft by general manager Dave Gettleman in 2018, who spent a third-round pick for his services. A known injury to his shoulder forced the young defender to undergo surgery before even hitting the training facilities. This required him to sit out for his entire rookie season. In 2019, he was limited to just six games due to injuries but showed some promise.
Follow our New York Giants Facebook page for news stories, updates, and VIRAL content!
What did Sam Beal show the New York Giants in 2020?
At 6-foot-1 and 177-pounds, Beal doesn’t have the ideal size for a boundary corner. He’s a bit thin and raw, but he has the athleticism to compensate for a lack of size. He actually might be a better fit at nickel corner, but the Giants need him to develop on the outside.
During his small sample size last year, he allowed 171 yards and one touchdown on a 76.2 completion percentage. He did rack up 26 combined tackles, and one pass defended. Ultimately, his experience is so limited, it is difficult to make a judgment on his quality.
I would be remiss not to mention his performance against the Miami Dolphins. He racked up 11 tackles and a momentum-shifting safety, where the corner was aggressive — flying down-hill and stopping Patrick Laird in the end-zone.
Concerns remain
The concerning part is his lack of experience. The Giants were relying on Baker to bounce back from a tough rookie campaign. The former first-round pick was utilized in a heavy zone scheme, which is far from his strength. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham utilizes man coverage 50% of the time, which should benefit Baker in a theoretical scenario.
However, new information regarding his legal case has bubbled to the surface. It could be a while before any arraignment occurs. With training camp starting in a few weeks, Beal is currently expected to slide in next to number one corner, James Bradberry.
There are positives when it comes to Beal. For example, he only allowed 20 yards after the catch, which indicates he kept his receivers in front of him and did not allow big plays to occur.
The best course of action for the Giants is to institute a position battle. They currently have Corey Ballentine, Julian love, and Beal available. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Darnay Holmes in the mix, either. While the de-facto option would be Sam, bringing out the best in him includes activating his competitive nature.