New York Giants: Is Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie The Answer After Beal’s Injury?

Oct 1, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (41) is congratulated by defensive tackle Jay Bromley (96) after he made a sack during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants improved a lot over the offseason, but the one spot that still needs more depth is cornerback. More than any other position, if you compare the Giants’ position groups from top to bottom. After supplemental draftee Sam Beal was signed to a four year contract, some thought that he would be the one to impress and win a spot in the cornerback rotation.

Those hopes were dashed when Beal sustained a season ending injury just before the start of training camp. It was a weird an unlucky injury, one that came only a little more than a full week after Beal joined the Giants. Now, the team is left looking for a cornerback to sign. Again.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie wasn’t brought back for another season in New York, but he’s in the conversation once again after going unsigned with the rest of the league. Cromartie played from 2014 to 2017 with the Giants but was released in March in a move that saved six and a half million dollars in cap space.

The cap situation is a problem that hasn’t gone away, especially after the Giants spent to bring in veteran pass rusher Connor Barwin. The estimated numbers give the Giants less than two million to spend on more additions, and it’s going to be very hard or impossible to get Cromartie back on the team with numbers like that.

Of course, Cromartie might get desperate. He wasn’t able to find another team, and if he wants to play in the NFL again this season, the Giants could be a way to do that. We don’t have the details of the offers that Cromartie received from other teams, so it’s impossible to tell just what his value is right now, and how low he would be willing to go.

Cromartie did tweet that he missed his teammates with the Giants. But just how badly does he want to return to New York? Any deal that can be made within the current cap situation would force Cromartie to take a contract that would be on par with someone of the team’s rookies and second year players such as Dalvin Tomlinson.

Really, it looks unlikely that the Giants will be able to pull the trigger on a deal to bring back DRC, even if it’s what the team would like because of their past experience with the player. Former Steelers corner William Gay was signed in mid April, and it’s more likely that Gay is given the nod in the rotation rather than DRC or Beal, with the latter being out of the race because of his injury.

Cromartie being signed by the Giants is a move that everyone would like. But after the addition of Connor Barwin took up some more of the little cap space that the team has left, it’s just not one that looks feasible given the fact that Cromartie didn’t take a pay cut to stay with the Giants in the first place.