New York Giants' Top Position Battle Seems Glaringly Obvious

The New York Giants don't have as many holes now as they did heading into the offseason, and the team certainly deserves credit for filling them.

However, there is one particular area in which the Giants have some very obvious question marks going into 2026: cornerback.

The secondary was an issue for New York last season, and it then proceeded to lose its top cornerback in Cor'Dale Flott to free agency. The Giants signed Greg Newsome II to replace him, but that's pretty clearly a downgrade.

New York then selected Tennessee Volunteers corner Colton Hood in the second round of the NFL Draft, giving the Giants a quartet of Paulson Adebo, Newsome, Hood and Deonte Banks at the position. Dru Phillips will likely stay in the nickel role.

So, what will the cornerback room look like come Week 1?

Well, you have to figure that Adebo and Newsome will be the two starting corners, for better or for worse.

New York signed Adebo to a $54 million contract last March following his strong four-year stint with the New Orleans Saints, only to watch him trudge through a very disappointing debut campaign in the Big Apple.

Newsome is a former Cleveland Browns first-round pick who showed some promise early on, but was ultimately traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars midway through last season after the Browns grew tired of his inconsistency.

In fact, Cleveland acquired fellow cornerback Tyson Campbell in exchange for Newsome and then proceeded to immediately extend Campbell.

Is there a situation in which Hood could actually usurp Newsome for a starting role next fall? It seems relatively unlikely given that some doubt the NFL readiness of Hood, who certainly has potential, but is still pretty rough around the edges.

But perhaps Hood will have a strong showing in camp and impress in a rotational role early next season, leading to more playing time down the stretch.

Then there is Banks, the Giants' 2023 first-round pick who was decent in Year 1 but has regressed ever since, so much so that the University of Maryland product played in just 44 percent of Big Blue's defensive snaps in 2025.

So, yeah: New York is facing a bit of a conundrum at the position, so it should absolutely be monitored throughout the offseason program.

It's worth noting that the G-Men signed former North Carolina Tar Heels cornerback Thaddeus Dixon as an undrafted free agent, and there may be some potential there. But the fact that the Giants may be relying on a UDFA is concerning, to say the least.

While defensive tackle was clearly the most glaring area of need following the Dexter Lawrence trade, New York rectified that by signing Shelby Harris and DJ Reader.

The cornerback spot, on the other hand, is largely dependent on young, unproven players having big years, and that could unquestionably cause significant problems.

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