The New York Giants are once again in the news for the wrong reasons. Second-year cornerback DeAndre Baker has been dealing with quite a bit of legal trouble this offseason that has been made very public news. In May, Baker was accused of armed robbery. Since then, the little bits of news and updates on Baker’s legal situation have been mostly positive. Information was even brought to light that indicated Baker was innocent.
Those who accused Baker of these crimes eventually recanted their statements. But now, according to a report by Pat Leonard, a search warrant obtained exclusively by the NY Daily News seems to indicate that Baker had a payoff cover-up that further implicates him in the crime.
After the warrant by the NY Daily News was made public, reports stated that the Giants are expected to cut DeAndre Baker. Without DeAndre Baker on the Giants’ roster, there is a major hole at the Giants’ second outside cornerback position. Who could fill that role for the Giants on short notice in 2020?
Logan Ryan
Logan Ryan is a veteran slot cornerback who had a statistically incredible 2019 season as a member of the Tennessee Titans. As a cornerback, Ryan totaled an insane 113 combined tackles last season. Ryan was also a tremendous playmaker, forcing a career-high 4 fumbles, racking up another career-high 14 passes defended while also adding 4 interceptions.
Ryan has been in the NFL for seven seasons. He spent his first four years in New England before signing with the Tennessee Titans in 2017. Over the years, Logan Ryan has been one of the most consistent nickel cornerbacks in the NFL, but he is also capable of playing on the outside.
According to Pro Football Focus, “Ryan is by no means an elite slot corner — in fact, he surrendered over 1,000 yards in coverage in 2019 and was constantly picked on.” The former Titans corner might be past his prime, but PFF concedes he is “still an average player at the position — he was the 48th most valuable corner in 2019.”
Acquiring Logan Ryan’s talents would not come cheap, though. The cornerback reportedly “is not willing to accept less than $10 million annually.” The Giants might not have the cap space available to comfortably sign Ryan at the moment, however, if the team does decide to cut DeAndre Baker, Logan Ryan’s contract will become much more affordable.
Sam Beal
The Giants had high hopes when they selected Sam Beal in the third round of the 2018 Supplemental Draft. So far, he has not exactly lived up to expectations. Injuries held Beal back in his first two seasons, but he was not overly impressive when he found the field.
Sam Beal played in 6 games and started 3 games in 2019. In those games, Beal allowed a 76.2% completion percentage when targeted. He allowed opposing receivers to gain 171 yards and 1 touchdown. Opposing quarterbacks recorded a passer rating of 115.4 against Sam Beal. If Beal is going to replace DeAndre Baker, the Giants will need him to improve his performance significantly.
Julian Love
Julian Love started five games at safety for the Giants in 2019. He was expected to continue in a rotational safety role in 2020, but expectations have been subverted by DeAndre Baker’s incident. This makes Julian Love a potential option at outside cornerback.
Julian Love played safety as a rookie in the NFL, but he played cornerback in college. At that position, Love recorded 32 pass breakups and 4 interceptions over his last two years at Notre Dame.
“Pure and simple, Love is a cover guy who possesses the feet, hips, instincts and competitiveness you want in a corner.†– NFL.com analyst Lance Zierelein