The New York Giants have utilized a revolving door at CB2, a position of severe weakness on defense. They started out the season with Corey Ballentine at the position, but he saw his reps decreased exponentially after just one poor performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week one.
They quickly transition to former third-round pick Isaac Yiadom, whom GM Dave Gettleman spent a seventh-round pick on prior to the start of the regular season. Yiadom represented a bit more athletic upside and experience at the position compared to Ballentine.
However, the Isaac experiment ended rather quickly, after posting poor coverage grades following the benching of Ballantine. However, he has gotten better and better as the season progresses, posting his best coverage great against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 10. It’s important to note the Eagles oddly targetted Bradberry in coverage more frequently, a massive mistake on their part. Still, his grading was about average at 65.1, but the progress is what I am trying to extrapolate on.
Yiadom is only earning reps at the moment because of an injury to a former undrafted free agent Ryan Lewis, who secured the position after several adequate performances. Now, the Giants have an opportunity to potentially claim a corner with more upside than Isaac or Ryan.
The New York Giants could add more talent to CB2:
The New York Jets waived their number one corner Pierre Desir. It was always optimistic for him to be their top option at the position. He has had an up-and-down season, being gashed every other week, with the latest coming against the New England Patriots.
You would be surprised what a lack of confidence can do for a corner or any positional player, and the Jets don’t offer much in terms of continuity and momentum.
Giants’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham might be able to utilize a player like Desir more efficiently than the Jets. He primarily works best in press man-coverage, and Graham loves to utilize man coverage in his defensive scheme. However, since the CB2 position has been tumultuous, they’ve been forced to play a soft zone coverage to limit big plays downfield.
Desir might be the answer at CB2 for the Giants and is only owed about $1.41 million for the rest of the 2020 season.
Considering the Giants are right in the middle of a potential push for the top seed in the NFC East, taking a flier on Desir might be a solid move. Not only is he a decent cover corner, but is also fantastic against the run, something Yiadom has been inadequate with this season.