Earlier in the week, just about every NY Giants fan out there was waiting on whether or not Joe Schoen would come to a new agreement with veteran defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, who took a visit to East Rutherford on Monday. Instead of the G-Men announcing that move, something else dropped.
We’re of course talking about Schoen, seemingly out of nowhere, agreeing to a three-year deal with cornerback Leonard Johnson. Who?
The former Duke standout went undrafted last season after tearing his ACL during his draft prep. Now, though, he’s East Rutherford-bound and the youngster is ready to turn heads. So, why should fans be excited?
We have signed CB Leonard Johnson
— New York Giants (@Giants) March 21, 2023
Details: https://t.co/7iyEVmZuM1 pic.twitter.com/kVUeeKklUF
NY Giants signing Leonard Johnson to a 3-year deal raised eyebrows
Plenty of people probably had never even heard of Johnson, but he had a private workout with the Giants on Monday and he clearly turned the heads of Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll, Wink Martindale and others. Checking in at 6-0, 194 pounds, Johnson may not be the biggest defensive back out there, but he was a total baller for Duke during his time in the ACC.
While with the Blue Devils, Johnson only missed one game during his four years with the program. During that time, he posted 165 total tackles, six interceptions and two sacks. It was a bummer to see him suffer his torn ACL leading up to last spring’s draft, but the new Big Blue DB worked his butt off during his rehab.
He was simply waiting for someone to give him a chance, and now the Giants and Schoen have provided him with one. Johnson will arrive to camp later this year hungry to make a name for himself. With the cornerback depth for this team not being strong, this really feels like a low-risk move for the NY front office.
Johnson won’t be expected to step in and be a starter from Day 1, but if he lives up to his potential, then he could see some significant playing time for Martindale sooner than later. If things don’t work out, the Giants can just move on from him and not suffer a major financial loss. Johnson has an underdog mentality and we could look back on this move as being a major win for Schoen.
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