The New York Giants' defense was arguably the most disappointing aspect of the club's catastrophic 2025 campaign, which speaks volumes. More specifically, many were eager to see the back end of their unit in action, though that optimism ultimately proved fleeting.
New York has worked diligently to revamp its secondary in recent years, stockpiling talent via the draft and free agency. Giants general manager Joe Schoen has thrown premium assets and money at the problem. Yet, somehow, this area of the roster remains among their most glaring needs.
You'd think Schoen is prepared to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks and finally fix the Giants' defensive backfield woes. That rings especially true in a pivotal offseason for him and the organization.
However, SNY's Lucas Hutcherson doesn't anticipate any wholesale moves -- or any changes, for that matter.
Giants writer sets the stage for disappointing secondary decision
Hutcherson predicts that New York will "[run] it back" with the same group that underachieved this year. The argument is that the team already made its "big-money additions" this past March when signing cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland:
"No doubt the hope was that [Adebo and Holland] would stabilize a unit that already included some promising youngsters in Deonte Banks, Tyler Nubin and Dru Phillips," Hutcherson wrote. "However, all three of those youngsters regressed in 2025, and veterans like Cor'Dale Flott and Dane Belton proved to be more reliable. ... New York can still hope for improvement from its youngsters, especially under new leadership ... ."
As Hutcherson points out, Flott and Belton are slated to hit the open market after breakthrough seasons in their contract years. Nevertheless, neither is expected to break the bank in the coming months. This makes retaining them feasible, and potential internal concerns about Phillips, Banks, and Nubin's development (or lack thereof) make it necessary for New York to strike.
Flott will be worth monitoring. He may have done enough to price himself out of the Giants' range. The same goes for Belton, albeit to a lesser degree.
Regardless, it appears that the Giants are ready to give several of the players mentioned mulligans. Schoen ostensibly pinned their struggles on the much-maligned former defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen. Whether that's the right call is up for debate, though Big Blue Nation should prepare to see more of the same crew in 2026.