The clock on the Giants’ secondary is ticking.
Literally, it is.
On Saturday by 4 p.m., the team has cut down its roster to 53 players. The fate of finding another corner paired with major free-agent acquisition James Bradberry is crucial.
The Giants finally did sign free agent corner/safety Logan Ryan, whose $10 million price tag was reduced to $7.5 million as a solution to the loss of De’Andre Baker and Sam Beal. Baker’s armed robbery allegations came to a fruition, and Beal opted out due to Coronavirus.
Ryan’s flexibility to effectively also play safety as well as nickel was an attractive selling point.
The 29-year-old had previous ties with head coach Joe Judge while the duo was together in New England, and he played corner and safety with Tennessee for three seasons. A former Patriots’ pick, Ryan loomed as one of the top free agent pick-up in the offseason. The Jets reportedly were in hot pursuit.
Was it just money that deterred teams from signing him? The Giants quickly will find out.
That left Corey Ballantine and Grant Haley, both of whom had their moments last season, but they both lacked the consistency to gain a steady spot.
The draft brought fourth-rounder Darnay Holmes and seventh-rounder Chris Williamson mainly to develop them for the future. Holmes has emerged as the lead nickel candidate.
In the recent weeks, the Giants added veterans Brandon Williams and KeiVarae Russell, However, Williams was a reserve for Arizona for three years and spent last year on injured reserve. Russell has three years in similar fashion with Cincinnati and was on the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad last year.
They also picked up Montre Hartage on waivers from Miami, and Nate Ebner was added from New England primarily as a special teamer.
Undrafted rookie Jarren Williams has been one of the major surprises in camp and former XFL New York Guardians standout Dravon Askew-Henry could have a shot.
In all likelihood, Ryan will fill the void. There are plenty of other candidates to provide depth.
At least, Judge things so.
“With all the guys we’ve added, obviously, they all have the physical skillset that can add to what we’re doing defensively package wise. I like their demeanor and play,” he said. “These are guys that have good focus in the classroom. They have the right kind of personality to fit our culture. We’re letting
them out there right now, they compete with everybody else. We’ve already seen them show up on tape in different instances. We’re excited about the opportunity to work with them for another week, and we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
In a few days, they will have their answer.
Photo: Giants.com