State of the Giants D-Backs: Promise, Potential but a Long Way Still to Go

The Giants defensive secondary was supposed to be a team strength. But fate had some other ideas and challenged an otherwise young group who still has a lot of talent and potential that it needs to put together.

Heading into the 2020 season, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Giants’ defensive secondary thanks to some unrest and turnover at the top of the depth chart.

Over the past few months, this unit has suffered some significant losses. Cornerback DeAndre Baker ran afoul with the law and has since been cut by the team. Another cornerback, Sam Beal, opted out of the season. And rookie safety Xavier McKinney suffered a broken foot in training camp.

After two weeks, the Giants pass defense is ranked second in the league, allowing an average of 188.5 yards per game. While that's an impressive feat, it also needs to be noted that the Giants haven't been tested deep yet by opponents.

With that said, there is still a lot of room for improvement, according to defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson.

“We just have to continue to grow as a group and play better as a group and just continue on our journey to being a really solid secondary,” Henderson said Tuesday.

Something obvious through the first two games of the season is that James Bradberry has played like the No. 1 cornerback that the Giants paid him to be. 

The former Carolina Panther signed a three-year, $45 million deal in the offseason. During Sunday’s 17-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, Bradberry was one of the Giants’ key defensive players to play consistently. 

He held Allen Robinson to just three catches for a total of 33 yards. Bradberry also had four total tackles and an interception in the game and was named Pro Football Focus’s Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. 

On the other side, the Giants are still searching for an answer to replace Baker and Beal. To do so, the Giants have turned to a rotation between Corey Ballentine and Isaac Yiadom, acquired via trade at the end of training camp from the Broncos, to fill the second corner spot. 

According to Henderson, the Giants are going to stick with this plan for the time being.

Yiadom saw his playing time increase during Sunday’s game in Chicago while Ballentine's snaps decreased from the week prior. 

Henderson praised Yiadom, a third-round pick out of Boston College, to quickly adapt to his new team.

“Isaac came in with a mentality that, 'I just want to contribute any way that I can,'” Henderson noted, adding that the young corner caught the eye of the Giants coaches for his work on the scout team.  

Rookie Darnay Holmes is another defensive back whose development will be imperative to the Giants’ secondary success this year. 

The UCLA product was selected in the fourth round of April’s draft. Holmes has already gotten a decent amount of playing time in the slot corner over the first two weeks of the season. 

“He has a really even disposition as a player,” Henderson said. “He’s really a grinder, that he just works and competes at everything he does,” Henderson said.  

As is the case with most rookies, Holmes is going through a learning curve as he adjusts to playing at the next level. This is something that Henderson understands. Something that has already impressed him about Holmes is his ability to learn from mistakes and not repeat them.

“Rookies are going to make mistakes. It’s new stuff that is happening and is happening fast. But he usually learns from those and again isn’t a mistake repeater,” Henderson said.

Just days before the start of the season, the Giants brought in veteran Logan Ryan. This move was in response to McKinney breaking a bone in his left foot during training camp. 

Ryan did not have a lot of time to learn defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense, but he has been an effective player.

“Logan brings a veteran presence, a veteran study presence, a veteran communication presence,” Henderson said.

He also noted that Ryan is a guy that wants to talk on the field and wants to lead. Because Ryan can play all over the secondary, he should still significantly impact the Giants’ defense even after McKinney returns.

In terms of what he’s seen overall so far from his defensive backs and what they can do better, Henderson talked about how his team took poor tackling angles during Sunday’s loss to the Bears. 

Specifically, he was asked about the David Montgomery’s 28-yard touchdown reception on Chicago’s opening drive of the game. 

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed a pass to Montgomery near the sideline, who then cut back toward the middle of the field and beat multiple defenders in the secondary. Henderson made it clear that there was no excuse for what happened on this play.

“We’ve gotta execute at a higher level. It’s on us to get those players tackled so that we can play at least one more snap of defense,” Henderson said.

The Giants have a good mix of veteran and younger players in their secondary. Guys like Bradberry and Ryan will be the leaders of this unit, while Yiadom, Holmes, and Ballentine will continue to grow into their roles. 

Henderson still has plenty of work to do with his defensive backs, but it is already evident that many of them are making progress.