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5 Free agent cornerback options for NY Giants to pursue

By Charles Vitolo

BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 13: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens scrambles as Dre Kirkpatrick #27 of the Cincinnati Bengals defends during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 13: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens scrambles as Dre Kirkpatrick #27 of the Cincinnati Bengals defends during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Even after the DeAndre Baker arrest scandal, the NY Giants seemed to be standing pat at the CB position; that may now have changed with Sam Beal opting out.

Man, just three months ago the NY Giants cornerback position group was shaping up to have the potential of a young and very talented corps.

Now, after DeAndre Baker being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and Sam Beal opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, the group is lacking a proven starter to play opposite James Bradberry.

I preached caution after Baker was officially placed on the commish list, and even after we were “graced” with an extra $13M or so to spend in 2020 should the team so choose after Nate Solder opted out as well.

But now, the cornerback unit is so depleted that the NY Giants don’t seem to have many other options than to bring in a veteran body. Just imagine a scenario where James Bradberry went down with an injury (not too far-fetched); this unit would likely turn into a disaster with no other corners on the roster that have played more than two years in the NFL and all of them being drafted in the mid-rounds.

The portion of the NY Giants fanbase that seems to want to go for it all in 2020 (didn’t we learn anything from 2018) are only beating their drums louder to go out and make a big splash with the “newly-found” (we’re still going to have to pay every guaranteed dollar on the contract starting next year) money the team added to its 2020 payroll with the Solder opt-out.

Luckily for Dave Gettleman and the NY Giants, there are actually several veteran cornerbacks that have proven themselves in this league to at least be average and probably won’t be seeking more than a veteran’s minimum type contract to play in 2020 this late in the offseason.

I’ve been vehemently against adding players that are past their primes and usually over the age of 30, but the team may have to make some exception here due to unforeseen circumstances and give out a one-year prove-it deal on an older player.

It’s not the ideal situation for a rebuilding team and the Giants brass should still be keeping their eyes on the prize – which is the 2021 seasons and on – but it looks like they may not have any other choice at this point

With that said, I’ve compiled a list of five cornerbacks that are currently available on the free-agent market and ranked them 1-5 in terms of who I’d like to see brought in the most at the top of the list.

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