One of the biggest issues surrounding the NY Giants defense last season was their lack of depth at the cornerback position. While they had some solid players like Adoree’ Jackson and Fabian Moreau, these two could only do so much.
When you pair that with the fact that Jackson missed seven games last season, and while he was out Moreau struggled mightily to guard WR1s, it really began to show just how much help the secondary really needed.
There are plenty of great corners available in free agency this offseason who could make a big difference for this defense. Despite this, there are four players on the market this year that Big Blue should avoid at all costs:
4: CB Anthony Brown
Don’t get us wrong, the Giants could use all of the help they can get at corner next season. However, a good place to start in terms of players to avoid is Cowboys CB Anthony Brown, who just wrapped up arguably his worst season yet.
While Brown allowed an impressive completion percentage of just 54.3 percent, he also allowed 44 receptions for 561 yards and five touchdowns in just 12 games. While this isn’t the worst season out of a corner, there are just so many better options on the market to even consider signing him.
Alongside this, Brown is 29 years old and likely is only just going to get worse. Brown’s age may not be the biggest problem when it comes to signing him, but it certainly doesn’t help.In 2022, Brown was targeted 81 times, which ranked 18th among CBs. Brown had a 19.1 percent missed tackle rate, which, considering the issues certain members of the Giants already have with tackling, makes it even worse for Joe Schoen to want to bring him in.
3: CB Kyle Fuller
There are no doubts that Kyle Fuller used to be one of the premier corners in the NFL during his time in Chicago. However, a lot of time has passed since then and Fuller really hasn’t been the same in recent seasons. Alongside this, Fuller is coming off of a year in which he tore his ACL.
Fuller is far from an injury prone player, in fact, this past season is the first time in his entire career in which he has missed even a single game. Despite this, Fuller still has not been playing good football in recent years and this injury likely won’t help that.
In his last full season, Fuller allowed 44 receptions for 642 yards and six touchdowns on a 65.7 percent completion rate. This was in 2021 for the Denver Broncos, a defense that was towards the top of the league, so it’s no surprise they opted to let him walk in free agency.
During said 2021 season, Fuller had seven games in which he allowed a completion percentage higher than 80 percent to go alongside three games in which he allowed 100+ yards.
It’s been very unfortunate to witness the downfall of Fuller’s career, the former first team All-Pro is now a shell of his former self. Maybe he can bounce back in a big way from this injury, but one team that shouldn’t take that big of a risk are the NY Giants.
2: CB Troy Hill
There was once a time when Troy Hill was one of the more dependable corners in the league, however, over the last two seasons Hill has really fallen off and should not be a candidate for the Giants to bring in this offseason.
Not only is Hill declining, but he is also getting up their in age, now 31. Those two tend to make a recipe for disaster and the Giants cannot afford that considering the issues they already have at the corner position.
Through 12 games last season, Hill allowed 41 receptions for 460 yards and three touchdowns on a 69.5 percent completion rate. Hill played opposite of Jalen Ramsey and both honestly didn’t play too well, which would help explain why the Rams defense struggled like it did.
If the Giants decide to retain Fabian Moreau and draft a corner in the first two or three rounds, they likely won’t have much need for a player with Hill’s skillset. Hill could serve a role as a solid CB3 for a team that is in more of a desperate need at the position, but the Giants have plenty of other options and draft capital to bring in a player who is not only better than Hill, but a smoother fit.
1. CB Eli Apple
There are multiple reasons as to why Eli Apple should not return to the NY Giants this offseason. Whether it be his on and off the field antics, skill, or even the way in which he left New York the last time around, we really can’t think of a single reason as to why Joe Schoen would even consider bringing Apple in.
Not only has Apple been pretty bad for the majority of his career, but he also talks way too much trash for the level of player he is. In 15 games played last season, Apple allowed 41 receptions for 585 yards and three touchdowns. These numbers may not be the worst, but when you add in all of his antics it really isn’t worth bringing Apple in.
Apple had his chance with the Giants and he blew it with his poor play and badmouthing of the organization. Honestly, even if Apple and the front office had mutual interest, team owner John Mara might shut it down due to the things Apple said in the past.
Alongside all of his issues in coverage and with his mouth, Apple also has a similar struggle with tackling to that of the aforementioned Brown. Apple registered a missed tackle percentage of 18.3 last season and has had similar numbers in just about all of his other years in the NFL. This is a big pass for us.
4 LBs the NY Giants should stay away from in free agency
With $44 million in cap space, the Giants must find big improvements at the linebacker position. These four players do not fit this description.