The New York Giants‘ secondary was one of the team’s biggest strengths in 2020. Veteran cornerback James Bradberry led New York’s defensive backs to a stellar season in his first year with the team. However, the unit was not perfect and there was still a hole to fill in the 2021 offseason.
Opposite James Bradberry, the Giants struggled to find a consistent cornerback on the outside. CB2 was a major hole on the Giants’ defense. The Giants filled that hole in March when they signed veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
The Giants signed Adoree’ Jackson to a three-year deal worth $39 million. He will be the starter opposite of James Bradberry and will give the Giants one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL this season.
James Bradberry stats and highlights
Many fans felt like James Bradberry was an All-Pro Team snub in 2020. He was selected to his first career Pro Bowl, but fans felt like Bradberry’s performance warranted a more prestigious reward.
In 2020, James Bradberry locked down everything deep. The Giants basically had an extra safety on the field with Bradberry at cornerback. On targets 20+ yards downfield, James Bradberry allowed 0 touchdowns and totaled 3 interceptions (T-2nd) according to PFF.
But Bradberry was not just a beast on the deep ball. He was also a true lockdown cornerback that could go one-on-one with any wide receiver. James Bradberry forced 14 incompletions in single coverage, tied for the most in the NFL in 2020 (PFF).
Bradberry set a new career-high with 18 passes defended, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL and only two behind Miami’s Xavien Howard for the league lead (Giants.com). PFF also ranked James Bradberry as the fifth-best cornerback in the NFL entering the 2021 season.
Adoree’ Jackson stats and highlights
It came as a shock when the Tennessee Titans released cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. The Titans cleared some valuable cap space but parted ways with one of the NFL’s best outside cornerbacks. When healthy, there are not many boundary corners better than Adoree’ Jackson.
Since 2018, Adoree Jackson has the fourth-highest coverage grade when lined up outside according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 85.6. This grade has Jackson on a list with stars like Jaire Alexander, Richard Sherman, and Stephon Gilmore. PFF also ranked Adoree’ Jackson as the twelfth-best cornerback in the NFL entering 2021.
Like James Bradberry, Adoree’ Jackson is elite when shutting down deep balls. According to Pro Football Focus, since 2017, Adoree’ Jackson has forced more incompletions on passes 20-plus yards downfield (18) than he has receptions allowed (14).
Adoree’ Jackson has played in only 14 games over the past two years. When he is on the field, Jackson is an elite outside cornerback. The Giants are hoping to see Adoree Jackson stay healthy in 2021 and shut down opposing wide receivers alongside James Bradberry.