What’s next for the New York Giants after Janoris Jenkins news?

The New York Giants continue to await details regarding their star cornerback Janoris Jenkins’ recent case. That doesn’t mean the front office should also sit on its hands and not prepare the team for the absolute worst-case scenario.

The New York Giants’ No. 1 corner appeared in the news Tuesday morning when authorities found his family’s friend Roosevelt Rene dead at Jenkins’ Fair Lawn, NJ, home. Police officials have charged Jenkins’ brother William Jenkins with aggravated manslaughter.

Further details regarding the case are stalled at this point as medical examiners await toxicology reports to help determine Rene’s cause and timeline of death.

All the while, Jenkins has reportedly been in Florida since New York’s minicamp concluded in the middle of June, and details of any alleged involvement he may or may not have had remain intentionally scarce.

The only thing the Giants can do now regarding the case is to be patient and continue to monitor details as they are made available.

As far as the roster is concerned, Giants assistant GM and new VP of football operations, Kevin Abrams, must prepare for the worst. The G-Men start training camp in less than a month and Jenkins presence remains highly questionable.

New York already lacks serious corner depth, and the Giants cannot go short-handed with Jenkins’ situation well out of their control. They don’t have to panic, and fans should not jump to assumptions this early. Still, the window to add insurance will close shortly if the team doesn’t act quickly.

Evaluate current roster depth

First thing’s first, the G-Men must treat Jenkins like he is an injured player with no timetable to return. That makes third-year corner Eli Apple the No. 1 option in coordinator James Bettcher’s defense.

Feel as you will about that reality, but reports out of the team’s camp are that Apple has been checking all the boxes thus far since offseason workouts began. The team will get a better idea of his development once the pads are on July 26.

The rest of the depth is where things get sketchy.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers veteran William Gay would likely be the No. 2 option, but he hasn’t been a consistent starter since 2016. The rest of the depth chart is also questionable.

The Giants would have to turn to guys like Teddy Williams, B.W. Webb, Curtis Riley Chris Lewis-Harris, Kenneth Durden, and Donte Deayon.

Do any of those names sound reliable? Yea, I didn’t think so either.

One guy who I have talked about before and who has made a great impression with the team is undrafted rookie out of Penn State, Grant Haley.

Haley is a speedy slot corner who also dominates as a special team’s return man. Despite the promising potential, the Giants would be taking a hell of a risk by throwing him into the starting lineup considering 2018’s brutal regular-season schedule.

There’s no telling what’s in store for Jenkins—whether officials indict him or he walks away from this whole thing unscathed. The investigation could last a week, a month or even longer, so the Giants would be wise to start looking for veteran support through the list of names still available.

Consult existing free agent pool

Though the official free agent period has ended, there is still plenty of talent available.

Potential targets include Bashaud Breeland, Kayvon Webster, Jeremy Lane, Lardarius Webb, and, of course, former New York Giants favorite, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Per Giants insider Art Stapleton (h/t NJ Advance Media’s Matt Lombardo), the 32-year-old, two-time Pro Bowler appeared at Landon Collins’ charity softball game at the beginning of June and hinted at a potential return to New York.

If a future DRC-Giants reunion is to happen, Rodgers-Cromartie will have to be willing to take a pay cut from the $8.5 million he would have accounted for this year. He refused a salary drop at the beginning of the offseason, which ultimately led to his release.

Per Over the Cap, the Giants currently have just over $7 million in cap space to work with for 2018. The team has not yet officially signed its No. 2-overall selection, Saquon Barkley. He will account for a $5.6 million cap hit this season once the ink dries on his contract.

For those pounding their chests that the team must sign Odell Beckham Jr. to an expensive extension this summer, it’s now clear why co-owner John Mara and the rest of the front office has remained patient.

New York Giants

The Giants could elect to find Jenkins’ backup by turning to free agency, but they will do so knowing their budget is limited.

Supplemental Draft

The NFL’s Supplemental Draft on July 11 is another option.

The annual draft is held each summer for players who were ineligible at the time of April’s rookie draft but gained eligibility at a later date. Teams will place individual bids on players using a draft-round grade (ex. Team “X” places a third-round pick bid on Player “X”). The team that bids the highest will receive that player and have to surrender its following year draft selection in the round it took to get him.

Though the supplemental draft is not a popular method for acquiring talent, superstars like Bernie Kosar (1985), Ahmad Brooks (2006) and Josh Gordon (2012) all entered the NFL this way.

The Giants will still hold the No. 2 slot on potential bids, meaning that theoretically, the Cleveland Browns are the only team with a higher priority than the G-Men for each round grade.

New York’s scouts have reportedly been evaluating defensive backs, including top Mississippi State target Brandon Bryant.

According to NFL analyst Gil Brandt (h/t NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread), Bryant recorded a 4.45, 40-yard time, 4.23, 20-yard shuttle, 34-inch vertical, and 10-3 broad jump.

The class also features top DB targets like Virginia Tech’s Adonis Alexander and former Western Michigan’s Sam Beal.

Next: How Janoris Jenkins Situation Impacts Camp

Jenkins’ future remains murky, but the team is hopeful his name gets cleared. Regardless, the New York Giants have plenty of avenues to explore just in case. Chances are, they already have been weighing all of their options.