The New York Giants will travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Sunday. Their first matchup of the regular season will be a tough divisional game. This is a game that the Giants need to win in order to have a competitive season. Fortunately, the Giants will be heading into this game with a mostly healthy lineup.
It is expected for a team to be healthy in the first week of the season. But the Giants did suffer through numerous injuries in the preseason and are lucky to be as healthy as they are. Granted, New York did lose a few key players to injured reserve already, but most of the important players are healthy.
The Giants’ starters from the draft class are all healthy and ready to go for week one, despite a couple of setbacks. First-round cornerback DeAndre Baker has been dealing with a knee injury but is ready to start in week one.
How Important Is DeAndre Baker To This Defense?
The New York Giants‘ secondary has been one of the league’s worst over the past two years. In 2017, the Giants’ secondary allowed 252.4 passing yards per game (ranked 31st in the NFL). In 2018, the Giants’ secondary allowed 252.8 passing yards (ranked 23rd in the NFL), showing minimal to no improvement.
The Giants completely rebuilt their secondary this offseason. New York drafted three defensive backs in the 2019 NFL Draft (four if counting Sam Beal). Their first defensive back taken was Georgia cornerback DeAndre Baker.
DeAndre Baker will step in and be an instant starter on the Giants’ defense. Despite a small setback during training camp, Baker will be ready for week one. DeAndre Baker suffered a sprained knee during camp but has made a quick and thorough recovery since and is listed as a starter heading into the regular season.
Baker will line up opposite of veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The two have the chance to be one of the NFL’s elite defensive duos if they both reach their full potential.
In three seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs, DeAndre Baker totaled 7 interceptions. He also added a whopping 23 passes defended. Baker was also an exceptional tackler in college. He posted 30 or more solo tackles in both his junior and senior season. Altogether, DeAndre had a total of 116 combined tackles in his collegiate career.
The Giants will be relying on DeAndre Baker early and often. In week one, Baker could see himself matched up with Amari Cooper at some point which will be a true test for the rookie.
But besides Amari Cooper, the Cowboys have other talented receivers, like Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb. Week one will be a real test for the Giants’ new secondary facing off against the Cowboys’ solid group of playmakers. This is why the Giants are extremely fortunate to have DeAndre Baker back and healthy just in time for the start of the season.