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On paper, the New York Giants have one of the deepest and most talented secondaries in football. Their top-end talent at both safety and cornerback is the envy of many teams, while their depth is equally as impressive.
The addition of cornerback Adoree’ Jackson essentially put New York over-the-top this offseason. If Jackson can remain healthy, there’s no telling just how high he and James Bradberry can fly.
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But even before they step on the field for a regular season game, Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com views Bradberry and Jackson as one of the NFL’s top 10 cornerback duos.
Since 2018, James Bradberry has forced a whopping 42 incompletions — the top figure in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Last season, he earned an overall PFF grade of 79.8, which tied for seventh among corners with Jalen Ramsey. Computer vision shows that on snaps where the front was unable to generate pressure, Bradberry still allowed just a 59.6 percent completion percentage, the second-lowest mark amongst corners in 2020. Overall passing data logically shows that an increase in pressure correlates with a decrease in completion percentage, but it also shows that effective coverage from defensive backs ahead of the pass can correlate with increased pressure. Bradberry’s production, combined with the addition of Adoree’ Jackson, should help the Giants more effectively blanket pass catchers before the snap. Between that and the additions made up front, New York should increase its pressure rate in 2021, which will in turn drive even more efficiency from the corners.
As Frelund alludes, if defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is able to generate more pressure with the additions of Azeez Ojulari and Ifeadi Odenigbo, as well as the returns of Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines, it should make Bradberry and Jackson that much more effective.
The added benefit for Jackson is that he’ll more frequently line up against WR2 as opposed to WR1 with the Giants, giving him a clear advantage on most snaps.
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