The New York Giants have spent the early part of this offseason trying to figure out how to fix a secondary that barely took the ball away from anyone last year. Five interceptions in an entire season will do that. When your defense is supposed to get more aggressive under new head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, those numbers jump off the page in the worst way.
So when reports surfaced that the Buffalo Bills were planning to release veteran cornerback Taron Johnson just days ago, it immediately felt like the kind of opportunity the Giants should at least poke around on. A proven defensive back, about to hit the market, at a position where Big Blue clearly needs help.
Except Johnson never even made it that far.
According to Ian Rapoport, Las Vegas swooped in before the release became official and traded a sixth-round pick to Buffalo to grab him, getting a seventh-rounder back in the process. A simple pick swap that secured a veteran corner without turning it into a free-agent bidding war. Smart.
Giants could have easily beaten Raiders for Taron Johnson
The frustrating part of this one is how doable it would have been for New York.
The Giants currently hold three sixth-round picks in the 2026 Draft. Moving one of them to Buffalo while getting Johnson and a seventh back would have been a pretty painless move for a team trying to add effort and experience to a shaky cornerback room.
Johnson isn’t a flashy name at this stage of his career, but he’s still a reliable DB who tackles well and plays with the kind of effort a Harbaugh defense usually demands.
Instead, the Raiders moved faster and solved their own problem before the situation even reached free agency.
That doesn’t leave the G-Men empty-handed, though. There are still some logical options sitting out there. Tampa Bay’s Jamel Dean keeps popping up in connection with New York because of his physical style and experience in press coverage. Kansas City corner Jaylen Watson could also make sense if New York wants someone young-ish who fits Wilson's aggressive defensive approach.
Either one would help stabilize a secondary that still has plenty of question marks behind Paulson Adebo, especially with Deonte Banks coming off another rough season and multiple defensive backs -- mainly Cor'Dale Flott -- hitting free agency. They're clearly looking to upgrade the room. Look no further than the Trent McDuffie almost trade.
Still, Johnson felt like one of those easy football moves. It’s not even about missing out on the 29-year-old specifically. It's annoying watching other teams make simple, smart decisions while the Giants sit on their hands, when they easily could have been the ones making a move like that.
We’ll see if free agency plays out any differently, but being passive likely won't be a winning formula.