Months after signing his contract, veteran cornerback Greg Newsome II can officially call himself a member of the New York Giants.
Simply put, one does not play for the Giants unless they are the subject of preseason criticism and doubt.
The Giants signed Newsome, who turned 26 in May, to a one-year, $8 million contract early in free agency. He received $3 million in guaranteed money and can earn another $2 million in incentives.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton already sees that as money misspent, predicting that Newsome will be the Giants’ biggest bust this season.
“Big Blue should’ve used that cap space on another free-agent cornerback or a position of need,” Moton wrote.
Sigh. Here we go again.
Bleacher Report’s criticism of Greg Newsome II is absurd
Let’s start with the idea that the Giants should have addressed another position of need rather than sign Newsome.
What more did Moton want from the Giants? Newsome made perfect sense on a one-year, prove-it deal after splitting last season with the Browns and Jaguars.
The Giants are a team in transition, and adding a cornerback with 58 career starts could certainly help the secondary.
No one is expecting Newsome to resemble a fusion of Darrelle Revis and Patrick Surtain II, though we’d certainly be impressed if he pulled that off.
Cornerback was a position of need, but not to the point where the Giants should have spent a first-round pick on one. Whether or not they should have drafted Caleb Downs instead of Arvell Reese is another conversation entirely.
Then there’s Moton’s belief that the Giants should have used the cap space elsewhere despite the fact that they guaranteed him $3 million.
When you’re citing cap space for a reason you don’t approve of a signing, you’ll typically want to do so for a larger contract. For example, the Titans opted to guarantee former Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger over $14 million. That’s the kind of move you call out.
Moton argued that, for the context of his list, “bust” applies to draft picks or veterans under the most pressure. But Newsome is a veteran on a cheap one-year deal. You’d think that Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter, or Darius Slayton would all rank higher on a potential bust list.
In fact, Odell Beckham Jr. has a far greater case than Newsome, if only because of how much attention the three-time Pro Bowler has received throughout the offseason.
Shows what we know, I guess.
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