You wouldn't expect to hear this about the New York Giants secondary.
The New York Giants should definitely be a better football team in 2026. Not only did they bring in John Harbaugh as head coach, but they patched up some serious problems areas on their roster during the offseason.
However, the Giants still have some major question marks, and perhaps the most significant one is in their secondary.
New York's defensive backfield was a significant issue last season, and the Giants then lost their top cornerback in Cor'Dale Flott to free agency.
They signed Greg Newsome II to replace him and selected Colton Hood in the second round of the NFL Draft, but Newsome is a downgrade, and while Hood is talented, he is still incredibly raw.
The Giants are hoping for a bounce-back year from $54 million cornerback Paulson Adebo, as well as $45 million safety Jevon Holland.
Taking all of that into consideration, you wouldn't expect anyone to identify New York's defensive back room as a position of strength, but an NFL scout told Athlon Sports that he actually thinks the Giants' secondary could be decent.
“The secondary is in the solid category,” the scout said.
New York Giants cornerbacks Paulson Adebo and Deonte Banks. Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images.The scout raved about New York's defense in general, calling Brian Burns an "unparalleled" pass rusher and stating that he really liked the team's additions of DJ Reader and Shelby Harris at defensive tackle, among other things.
But can anyone really view Big Blue's secondary as "solid" right now?
Perhaps it could be if Adebo and Holland play up to expectations and Hood ends up having a really good rookie campaign. Former first-round bust Deonte Banks has also looked terrific thus far in the offseason program, and Newsome — a former first-round pick himself — has shown promise in the past.
Let's just put it this way: the Giants' defensive backfield is certainly not the team's biggest strength on that side of the ball, and if there is any position group that is going to compromise the defense, it's probably the secondary.
Hopefully, New York is able to stay healthy there and gets major contributions from defensive backs across the board, including nickelbacks Dru Phillips (who struggled mightily in 2025) and Ar'Darius Washington.
But overall, there is absolutely reason to be concerned about the Giants' secondary heading into 2026.
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