What is the point of unpacking your apartment if you might have to leave soon anyway? That is probably the thought that New York Giants cornerback Isaac Yiadom bought into when he signed on to compete for the CB2 position.
To start the regular season, former Giant Corey Ballentine was slated to earn starting reps alongside James Bradberry on defense. After earning 92% of reps in week 1, he saw his snap count drop to 45% in week 2.
Ballantine was quickly replaced with Yiadom, who was acquired for a seventh-round pick from the Denver Broncos. As a former third-round pick himself, Isaac was expected to provide a major upgrade in talent over Ballantine, but that simply wasn’t the case.
He saw his snap count increase quickly until week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. He was then entirely replaced by former undrafted free agent Ryan Lewis and was in clear danger of being cut. However, an injury to Lewis forced Yiadom back into the starting lineup, and he has played 100% of the snaps ever since.
However, after the bye week, the Giants expect the gain back Lewis, and if he cements himself as a starting option every week, Yiadom could be in danger of losing his roster spot.
“I went home to my new place and the movers were unpacking my things,†Yiadom told The Post. “I told them to keep everything in the corner. It made things a little easier.â€
However, the former Bronco has a fan in head coach Joe Judge, who noticed how hard he worked in practice and the preparation he put into his game.
The New York Giants are seeing growth in Yaidom:
Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had his best performance, finishing with a 66.7 overall grade. He allowed three receptions on five targets for 37 yards. Interestingly, the Eagles targeted James Bradberry nearly double the amount they targeted Yiadom. Thankfully for the Giants, Bradberry is having an All-Pro level season, limiting the Eagles to just two receptions and 15 yards.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement from Ike,†Judge said. “That’s a guy who’s really worked tirelessly at practice. Then he got a shot in the game and he’s been making plays for us.â€
Considering how great Bradberry is on a weekly basis, Yiadom should anticipate the ball being thrown his way more, but he simply isn’t seeing things that way.
“I don’t go into the game thinking about how they are going to come at me because James is on the other side,†Yiadom said. “If they want to come at me, I’m going to have to make them pay, too, and then — I don’t know — I guess they’ll have to run the ball. I’m just trying to play my game, so if they throw my way I can make a play on it, just like James does.â€
The only thing Isaac can do is wait and play his best football. As long as the Giants are thin at the position, he will have a job in New York, but he must continue to show development and hold his own on a weekly basis, otherwise Judge will be quick to execute a change, similar to what he did with offensive line coach Marc Colombo.