New York Giants: DeAndre Baker Can’t Wait For Training Camp

Minicamp is over for the New York Giants and after that small preview of what’s to come, training camp and the preseason are the next big things on the schedule for the Giants organization. However, training camp won’t happen until later in July, leaving some time to analyze what was learned from mandatory minicamp and from the OTAs before that.

One thing to analyze is which players proved themselves and which didn’t during the offseason so far, and one of the players definitely in the first category is DeAndre Baker, who looks to be one of the team’s starting corners next to last season’s top cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The Giants took a risk on Baker by trading up into the first round to make him their third first round selection, and it looks like that risk will pay off in the end.

It also looks like Baker is looking forward to a larger challenge: playing with pads on during training camp next month. “We want the pads on,” Baker said following minicamp. “We can tackle, get more physical with the pads on. I love the pads.”

Head coach Pat Shurmur also praised the competitiveness and tenacity of the rookie cornerback. “He is very competitive, he’s very tough. The corners are at a little bit of a disadvantage this time of year because there is no bump-and-run. And part of his charm was his ability to get up and crawl up [to] a receiver and bump him. We even think we’re going to see more good stuff once training camp starts.”

Baker is just one player coming in to add depth to a secondary that looked depleted, with cornerback entering the offseason as a thin position and the Giants losing talent at safety by letting Landon Collins walk as a free agent. However, they’ve drafted Baker, Julian Love, and Corey Ballentine, all of whom are players expected to make an impact to some degree, and will be aided by the return of Sam Beal following last season’s injury.

The Giants have a chance to turn their secondary around this season, with Jabrill Peppers also getting good reviews early on in his role replacing Landon Collins, and if they manage to pull it off, DeAndre Baker might just be one of the players on the forefront of the new look.