After losing Adoree’ Jackson for seven games last season, it became abundantly clear that the NY Giants needed additional depth in their secondary. During this seven game period, the Giants pass-defense struggled mightily, this being due to the fact that outside of Jackson, New York didn’t really have a single consistent corner that could hang with some of the better receivers in the league.
However, with around $44 million in cap space (and more on the way) and a ton of viable options at corner in free agency, there is a very high chance that we see Joe Schoen bring in a veteran option at the position to help solidify this Giants defense.
While this is a very deep free agency class, this does not mean everyone available is great. Despite this, these five players stand out, and are guys that the Giants and Schoen should target and potentially sign:
5. CB Fabian Moreau
Bringing back Fabian Moreau is a move that is very likely to happen, as not only will Moreau be very cheap to retain, but there were moments where he played incredibly well last season, especially when Jackson was healthy.
Moreau joined the NY Giants in Week 2 and played rather well for a while. However, after Jackson’s injury, Moreau was thrusted into being a CB1 and he struggled mightily. Regardless, if the Giants are unable to make a big swing in free agency, Moreau could still serve his role well as the second or third corner in New York.
Looking at Moreau’s numbers before and after Jackson’s injury is honestly kind of funny to look at. Through the first 10 games of the season, Moreau allowed 24 receptions on 44 targets for 310 yards and two touchdowns. However, in the final seven games he played in he gave up 23 receptions on 31 targets for 258 yards and three touchdowns.
Moreau is a very solid corner, don’t get us wrong, but in no world should he be more than a CB2 for any team and it really sucked to see him struggle in a position he never should have been put in. If Jackson manages to play the majority of the season in 2023, then Moreau should see a good amount of success like he did in 2022.
4. CBJonathan Jones
Similar to Moreau, Jonathan Jones somewhat struggled towards the second half of the season, but when he was playing well to start the year, he was one of the most consistent corners in the entire NFL.
Obviously consistency is key at this position, but even when Jones is having an “off” game, he is still a very versatile player that would be a near perfect match in New York. Considering that last season marked the first time in his career in which he lined up outside, it’s really not surprising to see that he wasn’t perfect.
However, these flashes of excellence showcased that if need be, he could play outside in the right system, but if he isn’t playing well, he could move back inside to the slot where he has seen the most success during his career.
Jones’s number through the first 10 games of last season were incredible, as he allowed just 12 receptions on 29 targets for 172 yards and one touchdown while snagging two interceptions. Despite this, his aforementioned downfall was rough to watch and showed that staying on the outside full time might not be the best idea for him. In the last seven games of the season, Jones allowed 34 receptions on 57 targets for 371 yards and five touchdowns in addition to grabbing two interceptions.
These numbers are staggering once you realize that they are nearly two times worse than his first 10 weeks in just three less games. If Jones is signed by the Giants, he more likely than not will be put back outside considering that New York already has a potentially solid slot corner in the form of Cor’Dale Flott.
3. CB Rock Ya-Sin
While Jones is either incredibly hot or cold, Rock Ya-Sin has been consistently solid throughout the majority of his playing days. He certainly isn’t a star in this league, but by no means is Ya-Sin a bad player.
On a rather bad Raiders defense, Ya-Sin stood out as one of the few good players on the field and is the kind of player the Giants need opposite of Jackson. The NY Giants are in need of a consistent CB2 to play outside and Ya-Sin very well may be their guy. In 11 games with the Raiders last season, Ya-Sin allowed 31 receptions on 53 targets for 323 yards and just one touchdown. These numbers may not be the most eye popping, but they do not need to be.
Ya-Sin consistently got the job done for Las Vegas, only allowing 45+ yards in three games and giving up more than four receptions in just one game. Alongside this, Sin allowed just 10.4 yards per reception and racked up 45 combined tackles.
To make things even better, Ya-Sin will be just 27 by the time the new season starts and is likely only going to get better. While his projected price tag of $9 million a season, according to PFF, certainly isn’t cheap, the Giants defense would benefit greatly from bringing a player like Ya-Sin in, so it might be worth the price.
2.CB James Bradberry
It might sound crazy, but if there is mutual interest between both James Bradberry and the NY Giants, a deal might be more likely than you’d think. This would honestly be pretty great for New York, as Bradberry played incredibly well last season and would fit very well opposite of Jackson.
While his projected price tag is quite high, being around $12 million a season for two years according to PFF, a deal like this could work out somewhat well for the Giants in the slim case that Bradberry doesn’t work out due to how short it is. Regardless, Bradberry had himself quite the bounce-back year last season and proved that he can still be a key piece to a very good defense.
In 17 games with the Eagles, Bradberry allowed just 40 receptions on 87 targets for 429 yards and two touchdowns while also snagging three interceptions and breaking up 12 passes. Bradberry allowed 45+ yards in just three games while holding his opponents to just 23.8 yards per game. Considering how mediocre Bradberry was for the Giants in 2021, it was nice to see him bounce back to his star form.
With how well both Jackson and Bradberry played last campaign, watching the two play opposite of each other could be an incredible thing to see. The star power the secondary would have if Schoen pulled off a move like this could be enough to turn this Giants defense into an elite core.
1. CB Cameron Sutton
If the Giants really want to make a drastic change to their defense, they should look to bring in veteran Cameron Sutton, who most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Steelers, Sutton showcased his immense talent and potentially earned himself a pretty nice contract for the foreseeable future.
In 16 games with the Steelers last season, Sutton allowed just 36 receptions on 71 targets for 411 yards and four touchdowns while snagging three interceptions and breaking up eight passes. Alongside this, Sutton allowed 45+ yards in just two games while never allowing a catch of 35 or more yards, and he also gave up more than four receptions in a contest just twice.
Sutton is a tremendous option to line up outside opposite of Jackson and would be a massive upgrade over what the Giants currently have. In addition to this, Sutton is projected to make $8.5 million a season on his next contract according to PFF – this sort of deal would be an absolute steal for the Giants if they manage to bring him in.
PFF isn’t the be all end all for player contract values, but they’re one of the better judges in terms of what players are worth, so it will be interesting to see how much Sutton ends up receiving. Regardless, the price, unless it is way too high, will not matter, as a player with Sutton’s talent would be a big game-changer for this Giants defense.
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