New York Giants Safeties: Andrew Adams Vs Darian Thompson

As we take a glance at the safety position for the New York Giants, we must take a step back and realize that this has been a position of weakness for quite some time. The competition between Andrew Adams and Darian Thompson should not provide means for optimism, but rather just average play that can make plays at the right time for the Giants.

Starting off with New York Giants’ safety Andrew Adams:

Adams was an undrafted free agent out of UConn. He has flashed potential in the NFL but was never able to hold onto the starting free safety job for long. Landon Collins has the strong safety spot locked up for the foreseeable future, so the free safety job is open for the taking.

The third-year safety started in just four games last season, which was far less than the 16 Thompson enjoyed. He finished the season with 28 tackles, two passes defended and one forced fumble. If you crunch the numbers, we can assume that if Adams started all 16 games, he would have finished the season with 112 total tackles, eight PD, and four FF. That’s a solid season for any safety. It begs the question: Why didn’t he play more?

Steve Spagnuolo tended to rely on Thompson more in coverage, as he considered him more of a ball-hawk. With the Giants blitzing with Collins and corners on occasion, Spags clearly favored Darian to drop back in coverage and contain the deep ball. To say the least, he struggled.

Thompson finished the season with 61 total tackles and six passes defended. He missed tackles and blew coverage regularly, which ultimately has him fighting for a reserve spot this offseason. Both Adams and Curtis Riley split reps with the first team during mini-camp.

Some quotes from Adams in regard to his competition with Thompson:

“Darian and I came into the league as rookies,” Adams said during an appearance on NJ Advance Media’s The Talk is Cheap Podcast. “We’re very close. I’m actually going to his wedding, on Friday. We help each other. We study together. We know that there’s competition, but we came in together, we’re close friends, so all it does is make us better.

 

“He raises his game, I raise my game, which, that ultimately helps the Giants’ organization. That’s the main goal. The goal is to get that fifth [Lombardi] Trophy in the case. That’s all we’re both looking to do. We’re both just looking to help the organization, any way that we can.”

While Thompson was known for his ball-hawk abilities at Boise state, his transition to the NFL has been bumpy. In his rookie season he was forced out in week two with an injured foot. He proceeded to spend the rest of the season rehabilitating his injury, never setting foot on the football field again. He made his return in 2017, which was practically his rookie year. It’s possible he could return with confidence with a year of experience under his belt, similar to Collins, but it’s not encouraging to see him playing with the second team.

I wouldn’t rule out Thompson stealing the starting job just yet, but this will be a battle to keep an eye on during training camp.