The New York Giants could have an underrated secondary:
The New York Giants’ defense ranked 30th in the NFL last year, allowing a putrid 28.19 points per game on average. They allowed 19 rushing touchdowns and 30 passing touchdowns, showing how inconsistent the secondary was.
General manager Dave Gettleman allocated ample resources toward bolstering the secondary in the 2019 NFL draft, which played a significant part in the degradation of the unit and deficiencies across the board. However, one year of experience and more draft capital spent on reinforcing the defense, and we should see a gradual improvement from the unit as a whole.
Players like DeAndre Baker, whose lawyer said the charges are just about dropped and they have won the case to acquit him of any wrongdoing, are expected to take a big step forward in 2020.
Baker finished 2019 playing in all 16 games, tallying 61 combine tackles and a 61.4 completion rate. He did allow six touchdowns, an astronomical number that needs to be decreased moving forward. Nonetheless, he was used mostly in zone coverage, while his strength was man/press coverage in college.
I expect Baker to take a step forward in his development considering new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham utilizes man coverage on 50% or more of defensive snaps, historically.
In addition to Baker, the Giants are also expecting safety Julian love and supplemental draft pick Sam Beal to step up and provide some sort of quality. They also went out and signed James Bradberry, formally of the Carolina Panthers. Bradberry was the second-best corner on the free-agent market and has impeccable health, and coverage skills justify the money they spent on acquiring him. Bradberry posted a 44.2 completion rate and six touchdowns allowed in 2018, but cut down his red zone deficiency significantly in 2019, allowing just one score on 59.8% completion rate.
Bradberry will inevitably replace Janoris Jenkins, who had filled the number one corner role over the past few seasons. Bradberry is on a three-year deal, giving the Giants leverage if they want to move on after year two on a low dead cap hit.
I believe the secondary is one of the more underrated units for Big Blue, acknowledging their increased experience and the resources dumped into its reinforcing. The Giants also drafted Darnay Holmes with their fourth-round pick, who was rated as the top nickel corner in the draft. If he can lock down the starting slot position, the Giants will have two solid corners in Bradberry and Baker manning the outside.
While depth might be a little bit scarce, they also acquired Xavier McKinney to fill the free safety spot in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. McKinney is a sure-fire tackler and created seven turnovers for Alabama last season. His versatility makes him a perfect fit for Graham’s defensive scheme, which focuses on unpredictable blitzing habits and man coverage.