Based on earlier events in the offseason it didn’t look like accused cornerback DeAndre Baker would return to the New York Giants, but this spring has had a number of twists and turns so far and Baker remains in the running to come back thanks to new statements from witnesses. Two witnesses, in fact, say that Baker didn’t pull out a gun during a party.
Presumably, if the case is dropped, we’ll see Baker returning to his duties with the team ASAP. But what does that mean for the Giants and the rest of their roster?
No move to corner for Julian Love
When the arrest warrant for Baker was originally revealed, it was thought that the cornerback position would have a renewed competition. The Giants brought in James Bradberry during free agency, but because of the departure of last season’s top corner Janoris Jenkins, DeAndre Baker de facto remained in his spot as the number two.
Getting arrested shook all that up and the Giants didn’t show intentions to sign another player to fill the number two corner spot next to Bradberry. Julian Love was one of the more intriguing homegrown names that could have spent some time in the spot, but Love has mostly played at safety so far and hasn’t been in the cornerback conversation much until Baker’s arrest.
However, with both main corner spots filled, it looks like Love is either going to have to compete for the third corner spot with others such as Corey Ballentine and Sam Beal, or remain at safety full time and deal with losing playing time to second round draft pick and likely immediate starter Xavier McKinney.
Greater competition at cornerback
Even if Baker does come back, it’s debatable if all of his progress from last season will carry over. The legal case has likely been tiring and the team distanced Baker from the virtual offseason program and told him to focus on dealing with it.
It’s safe to say that some of Baker’s competitors may be sizing up his spot at the moment.
Competitiveness is required in the NFL, after all, and this is a chance for some players that haven’t been in the limelight to get more playing time. Additionally, Baker’s teammates have an advantage over him in time spent learning the new systems that the Giants will use this year, while Baker has been tied up by legal trouble.
Playing in the NFL can also be a mentally draining experience – dealing with the media, demanding fans, and the pressures of the game are all factors. When adding an offseason full of legal problems to those stresses, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that we could see a drop in play from Baker even if he does retain his spot on the team.
That doesn’t mean he’ll lose his spot completely. But it’s a big assumption to think that Baker will walk right into a starting spot again without having to compete harder for it than he did last season.