In the NY Giants’ opening game against the Steelers, it was clear that Corey Ballentine was a liability at cornerback. Here are some potential upgrades:
The NY Giants defensive unit showed a lot of promise in their first game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. The defensive line led by Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, and Dalvin Tomlinson got consistent pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Outside linebackers Markus Golden and Lorenzo Carter also played well at outside linebacker.
Offseason free-agent signing Blake Martinez looked very much like a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who could both stop the run and provide adequate coverage skills as he racked up 12 tackles in the game.
Fellow free-agent signing James Bradberry provided lockdown coverage at the cornerback one spot, while Jabrill Peppers, Julian Love, and Logan Ryan played admirably at the safety positions. Even rookie Darnay Holmes helped up okay in his first professional game despite being charged with covering one of the league’s elite wideouts in Juju Smith-Shuster.
One position that was a glaring issue for the NY Giants was that of the cornerback position opposite of Bradberry. That position was primarily manned by Corey Ballentine.
While Ballentine recorded the second-most total tackles on the team against the Steelers, it was mainly due to the number of times receivers he was covering were targeted.
On 7 of the 14 first down conversions that the Steelers had against the Giants, it was a receiver that Corey Ballentine was covering who was able to pick up the first down. It is crushing when a defense plays well and one player on the unit is responsible for over half of the times the opposing offense was able to continue their drive.
It is clear that the Steelers were aware that Ballentine was a liability in coverage. That fact is not one that will be lost on opposing defenses as they watch game film to prepare against the NY Giants.
As a result, the GMEN would be wise to make a change at the second cornerback position. Whether a replacement for Ballentine comes from an internal candidate or from someone not currently on the roster, something must change if the NY Giants hope to compete this year.
Let’st ake a look at some internal and external candidates who could be viable options to help the Giants upgrade from Corey Ballentine at the second outside cornerback position moving forward.
1. Julian Love
One internal candidate that the NY Giants could tap to be the second outside cornerback is their current starting free safety, Julian Love. Love was drafted as a cornerback out of the University of Notre Dame, where he was a starter for four years.
Some experts felt that a move to safety would benefit Love because he didn’t have elite speed at the cornerback position. However, if you watch any film from his playing days with the Fighting Irish, you will quickly recognize that Love was excellent in coverage at the cornerback position and possesses the intangibles to succeed at the professional level.
The issue with moving Julian Love from the free safety position to the cornerback position is that he has been excelling at safety and it thus weakens an already thin safety corps. However, the Giants’ plans for their defensive secondary unit have had to remain very fluid due to a plethora of issues throughout the offseason.
The Giants were keen on the idea of utilizing Love’s versatility in different packages while starting the duo of Jabrill Peppers and Xavier McKinney at strong safety and free safety. With McKinney suffering a fractured foot, the team decided to move Love into the free safety position, which negated the versatility that he brought to the defense.
Furthermore, Logan Ryan was brought in off the strength of his versatility, and it would seem like a waste of money to bring him in to be the third safety for now and the fourth safety when McKinney eventually comes back.
Corey Ballentine and Julian Love are almost identical in size, as Love is 5’10 3/4″ and 195-pounds and Ballentine is 5’11” and 196-pounds. As a result, size is not a concern when considering switching Ballentine with Love at cornerback. It should be noted that Love does have a longer wingspan than Ballentine.
Ballentine is a bit faster than Love, as he ran a 4.47-second time in the 40-yard dash event at the NFL Combine, versus the 4.54-second time that Love ran. In fact, Ballentine posted more athletic numbers across the board at the NFL Combine versus Love.
While Ballentine might be more athletic than Love, Love clearly has better coverage skills at this point. If the NY Giants are comfortable with downgrading their safety position by moving Love to cornerback, he may very well be a viable internal option for them.
2. Logan Ryan
When Xavier McKinney suffered a fractured foot and it was determined that he would miss significant time this season, the NY Giants went out and signed free-agent Logan Ryan. When they did, many believed that he would start at the second outside cornerback position opposite of James Bradberry and Julian Love would move to free safety to replace McKinney.
While Love did in fact get the nod as the starting free safety, Ryan was slotted into the versatile safety role that Love was initially expected to have before McKinney’s injury, and Corey Ballentine was named as the second outside cornerback.
The defensive backfield for the NY Giants is versatile with players like Jabrill Peppers, Xavier McKinney, Julian Love, and Darnay Holmes who are able to play multiple positions on defense. The addition of Ryan provided yet another versatile player to the defensive backfield, as he has played the outside corner, slot corner, and safety positions.
In the first game of the season, Ryan primarily played safety for the GMEN, mainly in nickel packages and other sub-packages. That said, he could be a legitimate candidate to start opposite of James Bradberry moving forward. It will likely be contingent upon whether the Giants feel they have an adequate replacement for him at safety.
He’s also a legit option to move inside and play nickle corner if Holmes ontinues to show growing pains as a rookie, as it was puzzing to see defensive coordinator Patrick Graham not at least try this in Week 1.
Ryan played 99% of his snaps as a corner with the Titans in 2019 – over half of those out of the slot – so its not as if the position is foreign to him in the least bit.
If the NY Giants acquire a safety or opt to place an internal candidate into his role at the safety position moving forward, the combination of James Bradberry and Logan Ryan at cornerback is an extremely good one.
3/ Prince Amukamara
Another potential option for the NY Giants to consider as a replacement for Corey Ballentine is a former first-round draft pick of theirs, Prince Amukamara. Amukamara manned the cornerback position in the Meadowlands from 2011until 2015 and is thus intimately familiar with playing for the Giants.
Amukamara represents a reliable option for the GMEN at cornerback, as he has played at least 13 games in six of the nine seasons he has been in the league. He spent the past three seasons on an excellent Chicago Bears defense. The 2018 season was his best when he had 66 total tackles, three interceptions, a touchdown, two forced fumbles, and 12 pass deflections on the year.
Last year with Chicago, he had 53 total tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 10 pass deflections in 15 games started for the Bears. Those are solid numbers for a player who remains out on the open free-agent market.
Adding Amukamara would allow the NY Giants to line up a reliable, effective cornerback in coverage opposite of James Bradberry while keeping the safety unit strong by allowing Julian Love, Logan Ryan, and Jabrill Peppers to remain in their current positions.
Given the familiarity that the Giants ownership has with Amukamara, it would not be surprising to see them reach out to him about a contract. Adding him to the fold would represent a significant upgrade over Corey Ballentine.4.
4. Damarious Randall
Perhaps the other half of a safety tandem for the 2018 Cleveland Browns that included current NY Giants Jabrill Peppers is the answer to help the team upgrade from Corey Ballentine. Damarious Randall played strong safety, with Peppers manning the free safety position for the Browns in 2018.
A former first-round draft pick in 2015 by the Green Bay Packers, the 28-year-old Randall is a player with talent. In five seasons, he has 14 interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two and a half sacks, two defensive touchdowns, and 290 total tackles.
However, there are questions about his character, as he was reportedly a distraction in Cleveland that was believed to be a cancer in the locker room. He signed a fully guaranteed one-year contract for $1.5 million with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. However, the Raiders decided to go with a youth movement and cut Randall prior to the start of the season.
Perhaps, being cut has humbled and motivated the talented Randall and the NY Giants could get themselves a potential steal by signing him. He is familiar with playing beside Peppers, which is a plus.
Additionally, Randall began his career playing cornerback with the Packers before playing both safety positions with the Browns the past two seasons.
Damarious Randall would present yet another versatile defensive back that would allow the Giants to adjust the defensive unit based on which player strengths best suit the opposing offense each week.
They could decide to move Love or Ryan to cornerback while placing Randall at safety or put Randall at cornerback and keep Love and Ryan at safety. Either way, his talent is a massive upgrade over the likes of Ballentine.
5. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Another former first-round pick of the Green Back Packers could be an option to help upgrade from Corey Ballentine. That player is Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who like Prince Amukamara, spent last season with the Chicago Bears.
Clinton-Dix was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to a guaranteed one-year $2.25 million contract in the offseason. He was surprisingly cut by the Cowboys, in a move that many believed was to clear roster space for Earl Thomas who was released by the Baltimore Ravens. Although that move never happened, Clinton-Dix remains a viable free agent option available for the NY Giants.
A former Pro Bowler, Clinton Dix has 16 interceptions, one defensive touchdown, four forced fumbles, 33 pass deflections, four fumble recoveries, five and a half sacks, and 522 total tackles during his six-year NFL career.
He spent his first four and a half years with the Packers before going to the Washington Redskins for the final nine games of 2018. He signed a one-year deal to play for Chicago last season, where he recorded 78 total tackles, two interceptions, one touchdown, five pass deflections, and recovered two fumbles while starting all 16 games for the Bears.
At only 27-years-old, Clinton-Dix still has plenty of gas in the tank. If the Giants were to sign him, they would likely play him at safety, where he has played the entirety of his career, and move either Love or Ryan to the outside cornerback position to replace Ballentine.
Given the numbers that he put up in Chicago last season and his familiarity with the NFC East rivals, Clinton-Dix presents an intriguing option for the NY Giants to consider when trying to upgrade their cornerback position. He would represent a big-time playmaker at the safety position who would allow either Ryan or Love to significantly upgrade the cornerback position.