Can Nick McCloud Step in for Julian Love as the Giants' "Do-all" Defensive Back?

Nick McCloud is being cross-trained at safety, the hope being he'll be able to replace Julian Love.

Nick McCloud, Defensive Back

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 193 pounds
2022 Stats: GP: 14 / GS: 8. 43 tackles (35 solo), seven passes defended, 1.5 sacks.

The New York Giants claimed defensive back Nick McCloud off waivers last August after the Buffalo Bills cut him. McCloud is still receiving the remainder of his three-year $2.45 million contract he signed with the Bills and is expected to earn a base salary of $940,000 in 2023.

After going undrafted in 2021, McCloud was signed by the Bills that May, only to be cut later that summer. On September 1, 2021, McCloud was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals but was waived a couple of months later. Not even a week later, the Bills again signed McCloud, this time to their practice squad. Though he would sign a reserve/future contract with the Bills, McCloud was waived once more that August, which led him to join the Giants.

Throughout his rookie season, McCloud only received 14 total defensive snaps, all of which came during his time with the Bengals. But despite the inexperience and lack of playing time, McCloud delivered a notable performance when called upon as a sophomore with the Giants.

Stepping in during Week 5, McCloud received 537 defensive snaps over the 2022 regular season (295 of which came in coverage) and started in 8 of 14 games. Over that stretch, McCloud allowed 26 of 42 targets to be caught (61.9 percent) for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

Although McCloud didn’t come away with an interception last season, he did have seven passes defended (a career-high) and illustrated his resilience by minimizing large gains with solid tackling and tight coverage.

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Best Case Scenario

Coming out of Notre Dame and his final in college, McCloud proved how serious of a cover corner threat he can be. In 312 coverage snaps, McCloud was targeted 47 times but only allowed 23 passes to be caught (48.9 percent) for 344 yards and two touchdowns. Mind you, McCloud had eight passes defended and an interception as well.

Although his production last season was modest, the Giants coaches believe McCloud can do much more for the defense, including safety, where he took most of his snaps this spring.

“I think Nick is a Swiss Army knife,” cornerback Adoree Jackson told reporters earlier this month. “A guy that is going to do whatever you ask him to do, and he’s going to do it at a high level. Nick never puts his head down, never wavers, never being woe is me. Just like, ‘Coach, what do you need me to do?’”

The Giants believe that McCloud can fill the role vacated by Julian Love, who signed with Seattle in the off-season. Love was nicknamed "duct tape" y the coaches for his ability to step into numerous roles. McCloud is hoping to carry on that role for the team in 2023.

Worst Case Scenario

It's still too early to say how McCloud's transition to safety will play out or if he'll be able to give the team the quality snaps Love did.

While most of his snaps were at outside cornerback last year (that was due to the Adoree' Jackson injury), McCloud did receive snaps in the box (143), at free safety (3), and in the slot (153), perhaps showing just enough to the coaches to make them believe that the transition will be successful.

If it's not, however, McCloud figures to go back to providing spot duty in the defensive backfield and contributing on special teams.

What To Expect In 2023

In this day and age in the NFL, having versatility in one's defensive secondary goes a long way. The Giants are counting on McCloud to offer that versatility, as it will allow them to better play matchup football, which wasn't always prevalent in their game plans last year.

McCloud has a physical style of play that’s imposing to deal with in coverage, which the Giants can’t get enough of from their defensive backs. If he can put the rest of the package together, the Giants might just have found themselves another steal off the waiver wire.

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