Heading into the 2025 season, the Giants are coming off another incredibly disappointing campaign, which saw them go 3-14 and take another step in the wrong direction, putting GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll firmly on the hot seat. But as the team heads into 2025, there's optimism that the Giants will be an improved squad.

In this series, we’ll break down the depth chart for every position group. This time, we’ll go in-depth at the cornerback position...

Projected depth chart

Starters: Paulson Adebo, Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips (nickel)
Backups: Cor'Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins III, Korie Black, Art Green, Nic Jones
Key additions/losses: Signed Adebo in free agency, lost Adoree' Jackson in free agency
Top Performers in 2024: Phillips, with 71 tackles, one interception, 1.0 sack, two forced fumbles
2024 ranking via PFF: 15th out of 222 ranked cornerbacks

What Giants corners have going for them

The 2024 season was a rough one for most Giants players, and the cornerback group was no exception. As a team, the Giants had just five interceptions, and Phillips, Flott, and Hawkins were the only corners to register any.

The Giants needed a boost in the CB room, so Schoen went out and signed Adebo, a third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2021, who has flown under the radar as one of the more consistent corners in the NFL. Adebo has been a starter from Day One of his pro career, and he has 10 career interceptions, so the hope is he can continue to be a ballhawk and step up as CB1 for the Giants.

The other key player here is Phillips, who didn't take long to establish himself as one of the best nickel backs in the NFL. As a rookie, Phillips locked down the slot, and with nickel now more of a starting position than a true sub-package, having that kind of playmaker in that spot is huge for Big Blue.

Key concern for 2025: Depth on the outside

Outside of Adebo, there are more questions than answers for the Giants at outside cornerback. The Giants' next best corners are Phillips and Flott, and both of them are more suited to playing in the slot as opposed to outside the numbers. Hawkins has the tools and has shown flashes of being a capable outside corner, but he also needs to prove he can stay on the field as he recovers from a spine injury.

Popular in the Community