The New York Giants had high expectations for former sixth-round pick, Corey Ballentine, out of Washburn, solely based on athletic ability and upside. His lack of technicalities and mechanical prowess lingered for a bit too long, as a team waived him on Tuesday afternoon.
With guard Will Hernandez testing positive for COVID last week, he is preparing to re-join the team, and Ballentine was simply a weak link that drew the short end of the stick.
Ballentine played nine games this year, starting in two. After playing in 92% of defensive snaps in week one and 45% in week two, he saw his reps decreased to just 3%. From week 5 to 7, he didn’t play a single snap, and over the last two weeks, he has been absent as well.
The Giants have waived CB Corey Ballentine, per @JordanRaanan
Had his kickoff return spot stolen by Dion Lewis, made him expendable.
Will Hernandez and Dante Pettis will likely be added to active roster next week so he was a weak link.
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) November 10, 2020
Corey found a home for himself returning kicks but had that job stolen from him from running back Dion Lewis. He averaged just 21.2 yards per return, and given his inability to cement the CB2 position, he will now hit the waiver wire.
The Giants have been attempting to find a solution at the CB2 position for quite some time but simply haven’t been able to fill the spot with a quality player. Since moving on from Ballentine, the Giants have utilized Isaac Yiadom and Ryan Lewis predominantly at the position.
Expect to see Hernandez re-join the active roster shortly and wide receiver Dante Pettis, who was claimed from the San Francisco 49ers, also join the roster.