The talk for the New York Giants this offseason has been all about the quarterback room and the defensive line. That makes sense, though. New York selected an edge defender and quarterback in the first round of the draft, adding Abdul Carter to a defensive front that already has Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and putting Jaxson Dart in a QB room with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
While those groups have some fun additions, and will play a big role in how the 2025 season goes for the Giants, the most important work New York did this offseason has largely been overlooked. The Giants made some big upgrades to their secondary in free agency, and those moves should pay off for the franchise when the season starts.
Giants’ improvement to the secondary this offseason has been overlooked
In a recent ESPN piece focusing on the NFC East, a panel of reporters was asked what has been each team’s most underrated offseason move. Jordan Raanan made the case that it was the signing of cornerback Paulson Adebo. However, the argument can also be made for safety Jevon Holland, who was also a big signing this offseason.
"Signing cornerback Paulson Adebo. He's not a household name but at least gives the Giants a proven player at the position. That's something they didn't have last season, and it backfired in the worst way. Thrust into the No. 1 cornerback role by default, 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks had a mess of a season, allowing six touchdowns as the nearest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Adebo's arrival allows Banks to fall back into a more realistic supporting role."Jordan Raanan (ESPN)
In 2024, the Giants had a secondary that posted some deceiving numbers. New York only allowed 210.6 passing yards a game, which ranked eighth in the league. Without context, that number makes it seem like the team had a good secondary. In reality, the Giants only gave up so few passing yards because they were abysmal against the run (27th in rushing yards allowed) , and teams just opted to stay on the ground.
When opponents wanted to pass the ball against New York, they had success. The Giants faced the third-fewest amount of passing attempts last season (503) but allowed 7.6 yards per pass, which ranked 29th in the league. Additionally, New York couldn’t take the ball away, recording just five interceptions all season— one more than the league’s lowest.
Holland and Adebo should help the secondary be better in both areas. Holland is a promising young safety at just 25 years old, and he recorded five interceptions in four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Adebo, on the other hand, is an aggressive corner that had 10 interceptions in his four seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
With both guys joining the secondary, they should help elevate the play of the entire unit. Additionally, the defensive backs will be able to work in tandem with the promising defensive line to be a good pass defense. Now, the Giants will just have to stop the run.