The New York Giants have suffered some key losses in their secondary this summer with the legal issues surrounding DeAndre Baker, Xavier McKinney’s broken foot bone and Sam Beal’s decision to opt out.
But in recent days, general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge have added several players who could end up actually making the secondary better than it was with those three lost players.
What? Hear me out.
Baker was Elvis “Taost” Patterson redux last year. He was confused and out of place until the very end of the season. There was no indication that he was on the verge of tuning his career around this season. Same for Beal, who was headed into his third season with just six NFL games under his belt in his first two years in Blue.
McKinney is a promising rookie, but still, he’s a rookie and we all know what comes with that: rookie mistakes.
The two constants in the Giants’ secondary coming into this season are still there: cornerback James Bradberry and safety Jabrill Peppers. McKinney’s injury has led to two positive things happening: more playing time for Julian Love and the signing of veteran safety/corner Logan Ryan.
The Giants also traded for cornerback Isaac Yiadom, a former third round pick of the Denver Broncos out of Boston College. Throw in the two free agent additions of Montre Hartage, Brandon Williams, KeiVarae Russell and Jarren Williams along with the already existing players on the roster: Darnay Holmes, Corey Ballentine, Grant Haley, Sean Chandler, Chris Williamson and Dravon Askew-Henry and the coaches have more than enough to choose from when forming their 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad.
I see the starters being Bradberry and Ryan at the corners with Peppers and Love at safety with Holmes in the slot. Of course, you could flip Ryan with Love or Holmes if you wish. That’s the beauty of this lineup. It’s not bad at all. Don’t listen to anyone trying to tell you otherwise. Baker and Beal were unknowns and the rookie McKinney may or may not have been an upgrade over Ryan or Love.
Don’t forget Yiadom also has experience as a starter in this league. He started eight games last season for Denver and the Giants still have Hartage, Haley and Chandler, three players who have seen a lot of action in their short careers and several other promising youngsters.
Nice job by the Giants filling these holes before the season.