The New York Giants received a shock this offseason when cornerback DeAndre Baker found himself in trouble with the law due to an accused armed robbery, and the situation is still ongoing. But Baker’s legal team has been adamant the entire time that their client is innocent and that Baker was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and so far, no certain evidence has come out one way or the other to prove if Baker is guilty or innocent.
However, it looks like the Giants organization may believe Baker’s story, because according to the New York Post, the team hasn’t made moves to replace him yet. Presumably, that means they still expect Baker to fill his role as the number two cornerback.
The Giants are not actively shopping or even signaling contingent interest at the top of the cornerback market, multiple league sources told The Post.
If the sources are correct and the Giants aren’t actively interested in picking up another cornerback, it seemingly means that they either expect Baker to play or they intend to give his spot to another player already on the roster. It’s not clear, though, which player that would be. Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine, and even Julian Love are all options, but none of them have been tested with a season in a starting position which gave valuable experience through some up and down performances.
While Baker’s play wasn’t always great last season, experience in a starting role is one advantage that he does carry in over his competitors after playing the most games out of the group of rookies that entered the secondary last season.
The Giants still might have to alter their plans, however, depending on how long the legal case takes. With training camp and eventually the season coming up, if Baker isn’t through his problems by then it could spell bad things for his chances to retain his spot. At this point in time, it’s still hard to tell whether or not that’s the realistic scenario.