For all of the questions the New York Giants' secondary endured this offseason, most of the debate was centered around the outside corner spots. The Giants have Deonte Banks, Paulson Adebo, Greg Newsome II, and rookie Colton Hood pushing for outside jobs, so the nickel position has flown under the radar.
That's because Dru Phillips is the starter at the position, with Cor'Dale Flott now in Tennessee. He was running unopposed for the starting job, but maybe this should be up for debate because his performance in New York's season opener was pretty brutal.
Though the Giants knocked off the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday Night Football, Phillips' performance certainly didn't do them any favors. He struggled to contain CeeDee Lamb, was called for defensive pass interference three times, and missed two tackles. It was not his night.
For someone who entered the season as an unquestioned starter, this shouldn't feel as set in stone anymore. We know that John Harbaugh isn't scared to shake up the depth chart and make unpopular roster decisions. If this keeps up, we could see his wrath eventually catch up with the third-year CB.
Dru Phillips could be operating on borrowed time as a starter
If there's another thing we know about the Super Bowl-winning coach, it's that he hates undisciplined football. Big Blue hired him to make practices longer and more grueling, which would essentially turn the clock back to the Tom Coughlin era where playing smart and disciplined resulted in two rings.
We already saw Harbaugh bench Adebo for Banks, despite his lucrative $54 million contract, and we know his entire shtick is to start the best man for the job based on who earns it. And with how undisciplined Dru has been, the 24-year-old could easily find himself in Harbs' doghouse if he doesn't clean things up.
According to Pro Football Focus, Phillips' 36.2 defensive grade and 31.2 coverage grade both ranked 82nd out of 85 qualified cornerbacks--so he was literally a bottom-three corner in football last week. That doesn't offer a lot of wiggle room, especially with a head coach who puts such a heavy emphasis on disciplined football. So while he's still the starter for now, that can easily change if he isn't careful.
And unfortunately, next week could be an even tougher test. The Giants are set to travel to Inglewood to face off with the Los Angeles Rams. The Kentucky product will be asked to spend the majority of his time defending another one of the best receivers in football: Rams star Puka Nacua.
With how often we see elite wide receivers operate out of the slot nowadays, every week will be a new challenge for Dru Phillips to see if he can rise to the task. And if he doesn’t turn things around (and quickly), John Harbaugh could eventually have to reconsider his standing as the starter.
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