The New York Giants really need someone to step up at the second cornerback spot. While a lot of fans were already unsure about that spot thanks to DeAndre Baker being the returning option from last year, his legal trouble only puts the Giants in a worse spot than they were at the start of the year.
You might not like DeAndre Baker and his play. But the Giants aren’t deep at his position. If Baker stepping up is an uncertainty, the Giants getting good play at CB2 without him is an even bigger one.
However, training camp is underway and one player at cornerback is standing out right now.
Corey Ballentine earns praise from Jerome Henderson
It’s worth paying attention to the CB2 position battle because the Giants probably aren’t going to have Baker available this season. It’s also a bit late to get a good replacement from free agency, leaving the Giants with what they have now. One of those players is Corey Ballentine, who seems to have pretty good results so far during training camp.
He earned some praise from defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, which is encouraging for anyone wondering if the Giants have the talent to compete at Ballentine’s position this year.
“The thing that I appreciate about Corey is that he wants to be coached,” Henderson said on Ballentine.
“He has come to me and said, ‘I want to be coached. I want to know, and I want feel like I can go out there and play confident.’ I’m making sure that he feels confident when he goes out, giving him instruction, and making sure that he can give it back to me. He’s a guy who has some ability. He’s in the mix, just like everybody else is, to play a big role for us. I’m excited to work with him,” Henderson continued.
From Eli Apple to Janoris Jenkins, the Giants have a minor trend of defensive backs who don’t have great attitudes. Someone like Ballentine is a nice change from that.
Ballentine doesn’t have as much experience from 2019 to build off of as Baker, but he does have some. He made it into 13 games, playing as a defensive back and kick returner. He had 26 tackles and 2 passes defended, a number that will likely increase over time as the absence of Baker gives a shot for more young defensive backs to find playing time on the field in 2020.