New York Giants 2024 Position Unit Review: Cornerbacks

The Giants’ cornerback room had a lot of youth this year–and it showed up big time.
Dec 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) scores a 4th quarter touchdown as New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) and cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (28) defend at MetLife Stadium.
Dec 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) scores a 4th quarter touchdown as New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) and cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (28) defend at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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This past season, there was good and bad news regarding the New York Giants cornerbacks. 

The good news is that they have some intriguing young talent, such as Dru Phillips, Cor’Dale Flott, and Tre Hawkins III. The bad news is they don’t have nearly enough talent–Deonte Banks went backward in his development, and there were far too many instances in which the Giants cornerbacks looked lost.

A new position coach has been hired to help the returning players better adapt to the rigors of playing heavy zone coverage, which is one of the central parts of defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme. 

But don’t be surprised if the team adds a young veteran to this group who can serve as the “big brother” in helping some young up-and-comers take their game to the next level.

New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks
Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) makes a touchdown reception under coverage by New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

2024 in Review

All you need to know about the Giants' cornerback group is that head coach Brian Daboll fired defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and replaced him with Marquand Manuel, who most recently played for the Jets. 

We’re still unsure if the decision is right, but perhaps Daboll felt that Henderson’s teaching style wasn’t quite a good match for what was being asked of the cornerbacks in defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s system. 

Or it could have been a situation where, after Henderson was passed over for defensive coordinator, maybe a professional split was in everyone’s best interest.

Whatever the case, Manuel has quite the task on his plate to straighten things out with Deonte Banks, the team’s first-round pick in 2023 who badly regressed in this system, while also continuing to develop the remaining youth at the position such as Dru Phillips, TRe Hawkins, and Cor’Dale Flott. 

  • Rostered Players: Deonte Banks, Adoree’ Jackson, Cor’Dale Flott, Dru Phillips, Tre Hawkins III, Greg Stroman, Nick McCloud, Divaad Wilson  
  • Under Contract: Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott, Dru Phillips, Tre Hawkins III
  • No Longer On Roster: Nick McCloud
New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks
New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) runs out of the tunnel prior to the start of the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Deonte Banks 

Banks being subjugated to the team’s new zone-heavy defensive scheme when he was drafted just a year earlier as a press cover corner seemed like one of the more unfair off-season decisions made by this organization.  

Banks was a terrible zone corner in 2024.  From Week 1 to Week 18, he showed zero progress in playing zone.  It was as though Banks wasn’t coached up at his position the entire season.  

He was a walking zombie out there, rarely hustling. Whenever he was isolated vs. a deep route of any sort, he could not properly play the player or the ball, resulting in obvious interference calls (four of his six penalties were DPI).  

To make matters worse, Banks seemed to check out at times effort-wise, which led to his being called out by Henderson, his former position coach, and his benching after a half of lackluster play against the Steelers.  

But our biggest concern is that he didn’t seem to learn from his mistakes, and that worries us about whether he will be able to function at this level regardless of the scheme. 

Perhaps the new position coach will make a difference, but Banks has to show a little more love for the game than he did this year when he let his frustrations undermine his efforts.  

Cor'Dale Flott
Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) runs with the ball after a catch as New York Giants cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (28) defends during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cor’Dale Flott 

Flott’s career arc seems to be slowly ticking upward.  Still prone to getting easily banged up – Flott’s rail-thin frame is not a good match for his fearless approach to contact – but that earnest approach has begun to win us over.  

Flott had a 10-tackle effort in Week 3 and struggled with bumps and bruises while missing three games, but he finished strong with an interception in Week 16 and his best coverages of the year in the final three games.  

Keeping Flott on the field will always be a challenge and a reason you can’t fully rely on him.  He has good height and speed but will never have physicality.  Though don’t tell him that – he’s a football player through and through.   

New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips
Nov 8, 2024; Munich, Germany; New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22) during practice at the FC Bayern Munchen training grounds at Sabener Strasse. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dru Phillips 

Our favorite member of this promising 2024 rookie class, Phillips, came out of the chute, playing the game correctly.  

His game bristled with consistent instinct, intelligence, toughness, physicality, and attention to detail.  

His tackling technique is pristine. He squares up while bending his knees, which makes his hits harder than they should, given his smallish frame, which seems ideally suited for the slot.  

His early coverages were a bit off, but he quickly learned from experience, and in the latter part of the year, he really picked up his footwork and route recognition.  

Phillips was so good at seeing the play and finding the ball that the coaches sometimes used him as a third linebacker and run-blitzed him to very good effect.  

His 71 total tackles in 14 games were the by-product of his playing near the line of scrimmage and his fearless approach.  

Though he started just six games, he must be a full-time starter.  He’s a future leader of this secondary.   

Tre Hawkins III
Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants cornerback Tre Hawkins III (37) reacts as he leaves the field after the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Tre Hawkins III

After showing little in his rookie season and being inactive throughout this sophomore season, Hawkins finally got a start (via injury) in Week 14. Did he take advantage of the opportunity?  

Hawkins secured his first career interception, was aggressive to the ball in both coverage and edge run force (6 tackles), and finally looked the part of an NFL cornerback.  ‘

When he returns to health–a cracked vertebra in his back ended his season early, an injury we think might have resulted from him leading with his head a little too often–Hawkins needs to continue to trust his talent and simplify his game.  

We also think he needs to learn to tackle better to prevent future injuries. The good news is that Hawkins showed passion and enough situational awareness to match his talent. The flashes were legit.  

New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson
Dec 15, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson (21) celebrates after receiving a fumble against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Adoree' Jackson

The 29-year-old veteran, on a one-year contract, played in 12 games and got rotational snaps as a boundary corner.  Though he started five games, Jackson never got starters’ minutes.  

Jackson knew where to line up and how to play his position, unlike some of his younger teammates in the defensive backfield.  Not a physical tackler, Jackson seems to be settling into a depth role in the twilight of his career.  

If Jackson is re-signed, it will likely be on an as-needed basis on cutdown day.  We do not expect to see him in training camp until the youngsters have tried, only if they’ve tried and come up short.  

New York Giants cornerback Greg Stroman Jr.
Nov 3, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. (30) returns a kickoff as Washington Commanders linebacker Nick Bellore (57) defends during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Greg Stroman

Though he played in only four games for the Giants in 2024, this 28-year-old six-year vet did enough things to get noticed.  

The coaches noticed, too, because they had him playing all over the field.  He lined up in the slot, on the boundary, came up and tackled, blitzed, and covered.  

Stroman is built for the slot but has the experience to line up anywhere.  His 6-tackle effort in Week 16 won us over.  It was nice to see a Giants corner besides Dru Phillips tackle somebody.  

Very likely, Stroman, a member of the one-year contract club, plays the game the way it’s meant to be played.

New York Giants cornerback Nick McCloud
Jul 25, 2024; East Rutherford, NY, USA; New York Giants cornerback Nick McCloud (44) participates in a drill during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Nick McCloud

One of the darker moments of this dark Giants season was the callous waiving of the popular McCloud on November 5 after he had suited up in the team’s first seven games with five starts–the cutting of McCloud for just a smidge over $1 million in cap space. 

When the bad news came, McCloud had just played his most productive game of the season in Week 6 (six total tackles). 

A knee injury in pre-season had slowed McCloud down a bit, but he fought through it and remained a good gunner and ever-physical presence in a cornerback room that severely lacked physicality.  

McCloud was immediately picked up by the 49ers and finished his 2024 season on their roster. His removal from the team left us wondering if it was worth the $1 million in savings late in the season. 

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Divaad Wilson
Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Divaad Wilson (27) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Divaad Wilson 

Signed off the Cardinals practice squad on December 11, Wilson suited up for three games with the Giants.  

In Week 18, Wilson played snaps on defense at corner, showing good size and speed.  He even reacted well in zone coverage to knock away a pass.  

Wilson finished with five total tackles on the day and never looked out of place. We hope he will be able to compete in training camp this year.  


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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.