You can never have enough competition at one position in the NFL. The New York Giants took that quite literally by spending all of their seventh-round picks and not bunching them together to move up in the draft. However, they are attempting to rebuild their youth foundation and depth, specifically at linebacker and in the secondary.
With general manager Dave Gettleman adding as many players as possible, they managed to land Shakial Taylor off waivers on Tuesday afternoon. The Giants made a move to supplement DeAndre Baker being placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. Which will allow him to be paid while sitting out until his legal issues are resolved. Taylor was released by the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, living a short while on waivers and landing in New York.
What are the New York Giants getting with Shakial Taylor?
As stated before, competition. At 6-foot and 181-pounds, Taylor played in just five games for the Indianapolis Colts last season. He was a rookie, which attests to his lack of playing time, but he did play adequately when called upon. Taylor finished the season with seven combine tackles, one pass defended, and a 50% completion rate against. He did not allow any touchdowns and did not miss any tackles. His sample size of just 60 snaps does not give us a good idea of what he is capable of. However, over that time, he did perform well.
The New York Giants now have a competition battle brewing for the CB2 spot. With Baker absent, players like Darnay Holmes, Julian Love, Sam Beal, and now Taylor will all have a shot at live reps during the regular season. While Taylor is a longshot to even make the roster, the cornerback position for Big Blue is exceptionally week. It could take additional months for Baker’s issues to be ironed out. With the latest information indicating he is still on the hook for some illegal activity, things are not looking bright on his end.