By Michael Stewart/@golferbad
At the time of this article the Giants GM Dave Gettleman over the last two seasons has added a slew of cornerbacks and safeties onto the roster through free agency and/or the draft. They have a total of 18 players who will be competing for a spot on the final roster due to the inexcusable chain of events involving D’Andre Baker involving robbery at gun point.
Last season, the Giants kept 11 players on the 53-man roster in the secondary, so that could be the case again in 2020. I would expect to see at least one or two of the candidates from this group land on the practice squad.
Earlier projections has the starters being James Bradberry at one corner spot and the other is up for grabs as Head Coach Joe Judge could go with any of the current CB’s on the roster or possibly look towards free agency/waiver wire for Baker’s replacement. Jabrill Peppers and 2nd round pick Xavier McKinney are currently being slated as the starting safeties.
The remaining group are corners Grant Haley, Corey Ballentine, Sam Beal, Montre Hartage, Chris Williamson, Darnay Holmes, Christian Angulo, Rashaan Gaulen and Malcolm Elmore. Safeties Julian Love, Sean Chandler, Nate Ebner, Mark McLaurin, Jaquarius Landrews and Dravon Askew-Henry.
This current list could certainly change from the time this article is released until the start of training camp. In 2019, the Giants biggest weakness was at the slot position as Grant Haley and Corey Ballentine struggled. GM Dave Gettleman addressed that issue by drafting two cornerbacks who excelled in the slot; Darnay Holmes and Chris Williamson. These two rookies could un-seed many of the other corners currently on the roster.
The most intriguing story will be the role of Julian Love in 2020; especially if McKinney does win one of the safety spots. It would seem that the Giants would consider moving Love to the slot corner position or back to the outside if another CB is brought in through FA/Waivers. Fortunately; Gettleman drafted two cornerbacks in this year’s draft; which turned out to be a wise decision.
Final Thoughts: Having 18 players competing in the secondary is a good thing and a far cry from a few years back when the secondary position for the Giants was one of their weakest in terms of depth and talent. The Giant’s brain trust could have some very difficult decisions to make when finalizing the roster at these positions. Over the next few months, I will be spotlighting certain cornerback and safety with more detail analysis leading up to the start of the season.