The New York Giants lack serious depth at the cornerback position, and it will be even more difficult to sign more after former All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore – a potential target for New York – signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings early Sunday morning, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Giants missed the signing of Stephon Gilmore
Dan Duggan of The Athletic said it’s unlikely that New York would be a serious candidate for Gilmore, given the greater likelihood that they’ll sign a cornerback instead to complete their depth at the position. Regardless, they missed the opportunity to sign a veteran cornerback with a strong resume alongside a group of mostly young and inexperienced players.
Currently, the Giants have Deonte Banks and Cor’Dale Flott slated to start at outside linebacker, although Flott is dealing with a quadriceps injury and may now not be able to get the reps needed to be ready for the start of the regular season. At the nickelback position, freshman Dru Phillips and four-year cornerback Nick McCloud are the top candidates for the starting spot.
While these players can contribute positively to the defense, none of them have made more than 15 appearances at the professional level. The lack of experience could drastically hurt the Giants’ secondary when they face the game’s best receivers.
The Giants have very little depth at the cornerback position in case one should drop out
Another problem with their depth is that they have little coverage if one of the starters gets injured. Tre Hawkins III and Darnay Holmes are currently the backups to the projected starters, but both have struggled to adjust to NFL receivers throughout their careers. So if Flott still can’t return from his quad injury or sustains additional injuries before Week 1, the Giants will struggle to replace the production they provided.
The Giants could look to the free agent market for additional depth, with players like Xavien Howard and Patrick Peterson still available, but it’s more likely that a contender will sign those players if they sign, leaving New York with very few options.
How the team addresses the issue of defensive depth in the secondary remains to be seen, but it seems as though the Giants will have to address this issue in the 2024 season.
