The New York Giants’ secondary has been a work in progress for several seasons. They have poured assets into the defensive backfield, primarily through the NFL Draft, in an effort to build a unit that could find and sustain success.
However, that road to success while building through youth has been bumpy. This offseason, the Giants took a different approach, spending big in free agency to add some stable veteran talents to the defensive backfield.
Giants’ stability in the secondary named a positive takeaway from free agency
Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus labeled the Giants’ newfound “stability in the secondary” as their biggest positive takeaway from free agency:
“The five players projected to be starters in the Giants’ secondary — Deonte Banks, Paulson Adebo, Dru Phillips, Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin — will all be 26 years old or younger when the 2025 season starts,” Wasserman wrote. “Adebo and Holland are the new additions who should add value to New York’s single-high-heavy defense. If the Giants’ defensive line is healthy, the pass defense could be a serious problem for opponents next season.”
The Giants’ two marquee additions this offseason, former Dolphins S Jevón Holland and former Saints CB Paulson Adebo, are meant to serve as stabilizers in the secondary. Both are experienced starters who have turned in more than one season of reliable and high-quality play.
They join a Giants secondary that was previously headlined by third-year pro CB Deonte Banks and a pair of second-year pros in SLCB Dru Phillips and S Tyler Nubin. Collectively, the average age of the starters in the Giants’ secondary is only 24 years old.
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Will the Giants’ secondary reinforcements be enough?
Despite the additions of Holland and Adebo, the Giants’ secondary is still young and unproven. The top defensive backs have dwindled off the free agency market, however, the upcoming NFL Draft could provide an additional opportunity to add more youthful talent to the unit.
The success of the Giants secondary will depend heavily on the performance of Banks. He flashed some potential as a rookie in 2023 but took a major step backward in 2024 as he struggled to elevate into the role of a true CB1. The addition of Adebo will relegate Banks back to CB2, hopefully taking pressure off his shoulders and allowing him to improve.
