Taking a look at all of the cornerbacks on the New York Giants’ roster and who could be in line to replace DeAndre Baker:
With DeAndre Baker self-sabotaging his career and holding partygoers at gunpoint, the New York Giants must reevaluate the cornerback position and see if a player on the roster is capable of filling in for Baker. Of course, these are all still allegations and not proven, but multiple witnesses told TMZ that Baker was the primary piece in the armed robbery.
Looking to the roster, here are the cornerbacks on the team and if any of them are capable of taking over the number two spot.
Julian Love:
Love didn’t see much playing time until later on in the 2019 season, but when he finally earned starting reps, he didn’t disappoint. Over 15 games started, Love posted 37 combine tackles, five tackles for loss, one forced fumble, three passes offended, and one interception. He posted a 65.5% completion rate against and allowed one touchdown.
Overall, he only played 37% of defensive snaps and still looked good in a diverse role. He featured at free safety, cornerback, and strong safety. While he might be better suited for a safety position, he did play boundary corner at Notre Dame. He could be in line to earn significant reps as the number two corner opposite James Bradberry moving forward.
James Bradberry:
This is a complicated situation for Bradberry, who recently signed a three-year contract with the Giants. Expecting to see a rebuilding team with success in its future, Baker had to go and ruin the party. Bradberry will now have to serve as the number one corner, and likely watches his counterpart struggle a bit while they become acclimated with the position. Nonetheless, at least the Giants have one quality player they can rely on.
Sam Beal:
Beal has been injured for most of his first two seasons in the NFL, and he struggled in coverage last season over three starts. Beal logged a 76.2% completion rate against an allowed one touchdown on 21 targets. The best thing we can pull from his small sample size is his 0.0% missed tackle rate, indicating his technique and efficiency in that category. The Giants need to see more from Beal, who has plenty of potential but has failed to remain healthy to unlock it. This could be his season to break out.
Corey Ballentine:
Ballentine is a former sixth-round draft pick from 2019, and while he struggled significantly last season, there’s potential to be seen. In 13 appearances and over 27% of defensive snaps, he posted a 64.3% completion rate and allowed four touchdowns. He has to decrease the number of touchdowns he allows and must develop in coverage. The Giants moved him interior to the slot position, which likely put him in a difficult position. In the most recent draft, the New York Giants added several slot competitors, which could allow Ballentine to move over to the outside, which would put him in a position to steal reps at the number two corner spot.
Chris Williamson:
Williamson is an athletic corner with tons of potential. His biggest knock is his tackling technique and inefficiency in the area. He has the speed and physicality to match up against wide receivers in the NFL, but he must get better in the tackling category. I wouldn’t expect him to be an influential player in year one, but he could develop moving forward.
Grant Haley:
Haley is more of an interior slot corner with fantastic tackling ability. He is not the best in coverage and will likely serve as a reserve option for the Giants moving forward.
Darnay Holmes:
Holmes is an extremely athletic and high-character player with a sky-high ceiling. He will likely slide into a nickel-corner role rather than playing on the outside. His injection could give Ballentine more opportunity on the outside, where I estimate the Giants will utilize a position battle to find Baker’s replacement.