The New York Giants brought in veteran cornerback Ross Cockrell for a visit last week, subsequently deciding that he would be a solid addition to the roster. After DeAndre Baker was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and Sam Beal opted out for the 2020 season, the Giants were in need of a supplement at the CB2 position.
Cockrell spent time with the Giants back in 2017, starting in nine games and racking up 50 combined tackles, 11 passes defended, and three interceptions. However, the deal between Cockrell and the Giants fell through on Tuesday morning. Just as they failed to bring him back in after the 2017 campaign, Cockrell decided to take his talents elsewhere. According to Tom Rock of Newsday sports, it is believed that the deal wasn’t as sweet as Cockrell hoped for.
In the wake of the busted deal, let’s take a look at one cornerback who the Giants should consider as a free agent:
At 34 years old, Aqib Talib might not be the most sought after free agent cornerback on the market. Between the years of 2013 and 2017, Talib earned five Pro-Bowl appearances and one First-Team All-Pro appearance. Last season with the Los Angeles Rams, Talib played in just five games, tallying 14 combined tackles and two passes defended. Through those five games, he only allowed it a 58.1 percent completion rate but gave up three touchdowns.
Ultimately, Talib has taken a serious step back due to age and degradation. Allowing three touchdowns in five games over the same number of targets experienced in 2018 (31) was horrendous. However, he would be a cheap veteran potentially, and the Giants are in need of someone to compete with experience.
Currently, the Giants host a bevy of young players who will also complete at the position. Julian Love, Darnay Holmes, Corey Ballantine, and Chris Williamson will all utilize training camp to claw their way to the starting team. However, Love is more used as a utility man at strong safety and isn’t the fastest player at the corner position. That was a primary reason the Giants elected to transition him to safety, after posting subpar 40-yard dash times at the combine.
However, Holmes has a similar frame to Janoris Jenkins and played boundary corner for UCLA predominantly. Many analysts projected him as a nickel corner in the NFL, but I wouldn’t rule out the idea of Holmes competing for reps at CB2.
Nonetheless, bringing a veteran like Talib would immediately provide value at the position and a stopgap player until the Giants can find a more secure option.