Tag: Sam Beal

James Bradberry on Giants cornerbacks: We’ll get the job done

James Bradberry knows the New York Giants are short at the cornerback position, but vows the unit will get the job done.

The New York Giants moved quickly in free agency to add cornerback James Bradberry to their roster. The general consensus at the time was they didn’t necessarily need a veteran cornerback at that price (three years, $43.5 million) with all the young talent they had at the position.

But fate has a funny way of paying out. The singing of Bradberry just might be what saves the Giants’ defense this year after DeAndre Baker blew up his career in a knucklehead moment down in Florida and Sam Beal decided to opt out, citing coronavirus concerns.

Bradberry is more than just a placeholder. He’s a top corner heading into his prime. Giants general manager Dave Gettleman drafted Bradberry while in the same job down in Carolina back in 2016 in the second round of the NFL Draft out of Samford and that familiarity drew him to signing the 27-year-old steady corner.

On Wednesday, Bradberry spoke to the media via a video conference and as the veteran in cornerbacks room, admitted that it was “cool” but he is still learning coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense.

Bradberry said he isn’t locked into being the No. 1 corner which means he’ll be assigned to the opponent’s top wideout every week.

“I like to do whatever the game plan is,” he said.

When it comes to how the group was forming, Bradberry referred to it as “a brotherhood” with a “next man up” mentality knowing Baker and Beal won’t be playing this season.

Bradberry also said he likes what he sees thus far from the team’s fourth round pick, Danay Holmes of UCLA.

“The biggest thing that jumped out to me is he asks a lot of questions,” he said.

And that is what rookies should do when they first get to the next level.

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Giants’ deal for CB Ross Cockrell falls apart at last minute

The New York Giants had a deal in place with veteran CB Ross Cockrell, but it all fell apart at the very last minute.

The New York Giants thought they had found a suitable replacement for cornerback DeAndre Baker, who is on the commissioner’s exempt list after being charged with four counts of armed robbery stemming from an incident in Florida in May.

The team had visited with and intended to sign veteran cornerback Ross Cockrell, who had taken a physical and been tested for COVID-19 over the weekend. However, on Tuesday afternoon, things fell apart.

Although the two sides had a deal in place, when it came time for Cockrell to sign his contract, he decided the financial terms weren’t to his liking, reports Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

It was believed that Cockrell would be signing with the Giants after visiting on Saturday and undergoing COVID-19 testing. The two sides had an agreement in place, but when it came time to sign a deal, the financial details no longer were to Cockrell’s satisfaction.

What prompted the sudden change remains unclear, but it thrusts the Giants back into desperation mode.

Already thin at cornerback coming into the offseason, the Giants were relying on Baker to get himself together and start alongside veteran James Bradberry, whom the team signed to contract early on in free agency.

When Baker ran into his legal troubles, Sam Beal was the next man up, but he then decided to opt out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns.

With Baker and Beal out and Cockrell not returning to East Rutherford, it’s back to the drawing board for Big Blue.

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7 potential options for the cornerback-needy Giants

The New York Giants are starved for cornerbacks and here are seven free agents they should consider signing.

The New York Giants were prepared to enter the 2020 season relatively thin at the cornerback position, but they couldn’t have prepared themselves for what was to come.

DeAndre Baker found himself in hot water following an arrest for an alleged armed robbery in Florida, ultimately landing him on the commissioner’s exempt list, and then Sam Beal decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An already thin group became a dire cause for concern, and with training camps now underway, the Giants find themselves running out of time to locate reinforcements.

We’ve broken down similar lists earlier this year, but now is the time to do it again. Here are seven cornerbacks the Giants could potentially turn to in the coming days, weeks and months.

Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Logan Ryan

This will sound like a broken record, but Ryan is the most obvious choice for the Giants because he’s arguably the best cornerback remaining on the free agent market. He’s also been connected to the team quite a bit through rumor and speculation.

Back in March, Ryan praised Giants head coach Joe Judge, while Giants Wire also listed him as an under-the-radar free agent to sign around the same time.

The former Rutgers and New England Patriots star should be very high on the Giants’ shopping list. They need a veteran corner who knows the ropes and how to win and the connection to Joe Judge and Patrick Graham has to come into play here.

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Will Sam Beal’s opt-out force Giants to move Jabrill Peppers to cornerback?

Could Jabrill Peppers be the Giants’ solution at cornerback now that Sam Beal has opted out?

On Wednesday, New York Giants third-year cornerback Sam Beal informed the team he was opting out of the 2020 season. That immediately put the Giants, once thought to be corner-rich coming into this season, in a tough position to find a pair of starters.

Beal was penciled in as the starter across from free-agent addition James Bradberry after DeAndre Baker was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List at the outset of camp.

The Giants will now pick a starter from a group consisting of Corey Ballentine, Julian Love, Grant Haley, Montre Hartage and 2020 draft choices, Darnay Holmes and Chris Williamson.

The Giants may not be comfortable with any of those players playing on the outside. That could prompt them to keep Love at safety, alongside rookie Xavier McKinney, and move the omni-talented Jabrill Peppers to cornerback.

Peppers, a versatile athlete going back to his high school days in New Jersey and his college career at Michigan, played safety with the Cleveland Browns and last year with the Giants, but has the ability to play corner, also.

Head coach Joe Judge has stressed that he wants players to be able to play more than one position. What better opportunity will he have to prove that than to try Peppers at corner?

Haley has shown he can play the slot, and Ballentine, Love and Holmes are coming to camp to try to displace him. Hartage has experience in this defense, but none of the aforementioned players possess the upside of Peppers.

Will the Giants have the forethought to make this bold move?

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Giants CB Sam Beal to opt out of 2020 season

Sam Beal is the third Giants player to opt out.

As the deadline approaches for players to opt out of the 2020 season, New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal is reportedly joining the growing list of players who have decided to sit out the campaign amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beal is the third Giants players to opt out of the 2020 season following left tackle Nate Solder and wide receiver/kick returner Da’Mari Scott.

This is a big blow to a Giants secondary that was already facing plenty of question marks. Beal was expected to compete for the starting role opposite James Bradberry, who signed a three-year deal in free agency this offseason.

The Giants used a third-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft to get Beal. He wound up missing his entire rookie season due to a shoulder injury he suffered in training camp. Beal then started his second season in 2019 on the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury and wound up playing six games for Big Blue.

With Beal now out of the picture for 2020, the starting spots behind Bradberry will include a competition between Julian Love, Corey Ballentine and rookie Darnay Holmes.

Giants roster outlook: Upgrades, downgrades or lateral moves on defense

Giants Wire examines the New York Giants defense and the changes made this offseason, offering a verdict on each unit.

The New York Giants went into the offseason knowing they had to make some changes on their 25th ranked defense.

General manager Dave Gettleman used his free agent money and seven of his 10 draft picks in an attempt to revamp and revive a group that simply allowed way too many easy scores to opponents in 2019.

Here is a quick rundown on each unit as training camp begins

Al Bello/Getty Images

Defensive line

Gained: Austin Johnson

Lost: Olsen Pierre

The Giants’ big move was made last October when they traded two draft choices to the Jets for Leonard Williams, an impending free agent. They could not come to an agreement this offseason, so they applied the franchise tag to retain Williams at a price of $16.1 million. He’ll be a starter along with Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence. B.J. Hill, R.J McIntosh and Chris Slayton are returning as well. Johnson will provide some veteran depth.

Verdict: Slight upgrade

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PFF ranks Giants’ secondary among worst in the NFL

Pro Football Focus has ranked the New York Giants’ secondary among the very worst in the NFL.

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In recent years, the New York Giants have had major roster turnover in their secondary. They have moved on from familiar names such as Landon Collins, Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Now with an extremely young developing core, Pro Football Focus has ranked the Giants as 27th best secondary in the league.

James Bradberry is the big offseason addition to the Giants secondary, and while it’s true that few cornerbacks have had a tougher job over the past few seasons, given the division in which he has had to ply his trade, he’s also never quite lived up to the potential we saw as a rookie. Bradberry has consistently generated PFF grades in the 60s but has a rare skill set and should immediately look significantly better without needing to try and cover the likes of Julio Jones and Mike Evans twice a season.

DeAndre Baker struggled badly as a rookie and was beaten for eight touchdowns in total, though his future is somewhat up in the air, given the reported off-field troubles. Beyond Baker, the Giants would be turning to Sam Beal, who played fewer than 300 snaps last year, or one of either Corey Ballentine, Darnay Holmes, Chris Williamson or Montre Hartage. So, for as much as Baker struggled last year, the prospects of a season without him would not be good.

Interestingly, PFF does not project Holmes to compete on the inside, which is precisely what he’ll do entering the 2020 season.

On the inside, Grant Haley was the team’s slot corner in 2019, but he earned a PFF coverage grade of 48.3 and was beaten for a passer rating of 114.2 when targeted. And at safety, Antoine Bethea has now gone, leaving Julian Love to try and fight off rookie Xavier McKinney for playing time alongside Jabril Peppers. McKinney has elite versatility and was used much the same way as Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, though McKinney does come without the absurd size and measurables. Love played well last season, so it would be unfortunate if he were to lose time this year.

The Giants are loaded with potential, but only time will tell if their young core turns out to be viable starters in the league.

This offseason, the Giants addressed a position of need when they signed cornerback James Bradberry in free agency. Originally DeAndre Baker was slotted to be the No. 2 cornerback behind Bradberry. Baker struggled early on in his rookie year but improved down the stretch of last season. However, now, Baker’s status is very much up in the air following his alleged legal trouble which landed him on the commissioner’s exempt list.

Past that there are certainly a ton of question marks surrounding young players at the cornerback position. Having said that, there are many believe that Big Blue got an absolute steal when they drafted Darnay Holmes out of UCLA in the fourth round of this year’s draft. In fact, there have been some pretty high-profile names who have raved about Holmes.

At the safety positions, the Giants hope they can continue to develop their young core. They acquired Jabrill Pepper in the trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns and Peppers played well in his first season with Big Blue.

Xavier McKinney is another player that many felt the Giants got a lot of value with when they drafted him in the second round of this year’s draft. McKinney is a very versatile safety that can be moved around all over on defense. Between Peppers and McKinney, many believe the Giants have a young core to build around at the safety position.

Overall, the Giants’ secondary is extremely young so the rank given by PFF is understandable. With the uncertainty surrounding DeAndre Baker, don’t be surprised if they Giants add a veteran to help their secondary before the season starts.

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Giants training camp preview: What to expect in the secondary

The New York Giants have a lot of young talent, but also quite a few question marks in their secondary entering training camp.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has made major changes to the team’s roster (like it or not) since his arrival at the end of the 2017 season. Every unit — every position — has undergone some type of reconstruction, but no unit has experienced a greater overhaul than the secondary.

Gettleman has used both free agency and the draft to reform a unit that has been one of the NFL’s most yielding and forgiving the past several seasons.

Here’s a quick look at what to expect this summer at training camp.

Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Cornerback

Gettleman reached into free agency and grabbed “young veteran” James Bradberry, a player he drafted during his days as GM in Carolina, signing him to a three-year, $43.5 million deal. He will be a starter on the outside. The 26-year-old Bradberry is considered one of the best all-around corners in the NFL.

Who will start across from Bradberry? Good question. It was thought to be DeAndre Baker, who the Giants have their fingers crossed could mature into a solid cover corner after a rough rookie season. But he’s still dealing with his legal problems in Florida. Even if that situation pans out, you can’t unring a bell. Baker could still be suspended and the Giants could see him as expendable.

Baker is still going to have to compete with a fairly large field of contenders for the job this summer as it is. Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine, Darnay Holmes, Chris Williamson and veteran Montre Hartage are all aiming for playing time and will give Baker a good run for his money.

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Giants’ Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine could benefit from DeAndre Baker’s legal woes

New York Giants cornerbacks Sam Beal and Corey Ballentine could benefit from DeAndre Baker’s legal troubles.

No matter how DeAndre Baker’s legal situation plays out, the New York Giants now find themselves in a position where they must consider a change at cornerback.

Baker reportedly slept through team meetings in 2019, was called “unprofessional” by his teammates and then skipped portions of the team’s voluntary offseason program earlier this month. Coupled with poor play as a rookie, the red flags are abundant.

The good news for New York? They have invested heavily in young talent at the position in recent years, including Sam Beal in 2018 and Corey Ballentine in 2019.

Both of those players now stand to gain from Baker’s legal troubles whether that’s deemed fair or unfair. Sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

General manager Dave Gettleman made the unconventional move of selecting Beal out of Western Michigan in the third round of the 2018 Supplemental Draft, which drew some ire. However, Gettleman never wavered.

“For what it’s worth, we really feel strongly that if Sam were in this draft he’d be a second-round pick,” Gettleman told reporters prior to the 2019 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Beal missed his rookie season however, landing on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Things got no easier in 2019 as Beal missed an early portion of the season due to a hamstring injury, which stunted his development significantly.

Beal eventually returned to the field and saw action in six games, recording 26 tackles and one pass defensed.

“I’m different,” Beal said last May, via the New York Post. “I’m smart, I’m quick, and I’m fast at the same time. You can be quick, you can be fast, but I’m quick and I’m fast. And I’m a physical corner. If they put me anywhere, I can play it. I got range out the door. I can get sideline to sideline just as fast as anybody else.”

To Beal’s credit, he’s become a study machine. Although the injuries have been frustrating, he’s spent the down time preparing himself mentally, which is something that will serve him well while having to learn Patrick Graham’s new system.

But Beal isn’t alone in the running for Baker’s job. 2019 sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine will also be in the mix.

After flashing throughout the 2019 preseason, Ballentine struggled mightily during the regular season, finishing the year with 26 tackles, two passes defensed and 36.6 Pro Football Focus grade.

However, the structure of a solid cornerback was clearly there for the 6-foot, 192-pound Ballentine. And although we’re not making excuses for him, Ballentine clearly had some other things to deal with as a rookie that were more important than football.

Hours after being drafted by the Giants, Ballentine was the victim of a drive-by shooting. He suffered a gunshot wound and his best friend, Dwane Simmons, was killed.

Ballentine was forced to spend the early part of his career recovering and grieving, later facing the accused shooter in court. And to this day, the bullet remains lodged in Ballentine’s body.

There is a level of unfortunate irony in the reality that Ballentine will now potentially battle for a starting position because his teammate, DeAndre Baker, allegedly pulled out a gun in order to rob others. It’s a cruel twist of fate, but again, sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles.

Ballentine will benefit from a completely fresh slate under first-year head coach Joe Judge and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and it will allow him to keep pace with everyone else in the cornerback room.

Although neither Beal nor Ballentine are guarantees to lock-down the role next to veteran James Bradberry, their presence provides much-needed insurance for the Giants as they await Baker’s fate.

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Giants’ Mike Remmers, two tight ends out vs. Eagles

The New York Giants will be without RT Mike Remmers (concussion) and two tight ends on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Giants will be without starting right tackle Mike Remmers (concussion) on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, meaning reserve offensive lineman Nick Gates (shoulder), who is also a little banged up, will earn another start.

In addition to Remmers, tight ends Rhett Ellison and Scott Simonson were unable to clear concussion protocol in time to receive the green light and have also officially been ruled out.

With Simonson out, it would make sense for the Giants to promote Garrett Dickerson off of their practice squad. Kaden Smith will, of course, draw the start.

Meanwhile, the Giants could also be exceptionally thin in their already weak secondary as cornerbacks Sam Beal (shoulder) and Corey Ballentine (back) are listed as questionable.

Veteran linebacker Alec Ogletree (back), who was unable to play last week after injuring his back pre-game, is also listed as questionable.

Linebacker Lorenzo Carter (knee) and wide receiver Darius Slayton (knee) did not receive an official designation and are expected to play in Week 17.

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