Getty New York Giants beef up their o-line
Ever since DeAndre Baker’s offseason arrest back in May, the masses have been waiting for the New York Giants to make a move at cornerback. That only grew following Baker’s placement on the commissioner’s exempt list last week.
Names such as free-agent Logan Ryan and Bobby McCain of the Miami Dolphins have floated around as potential additions to Big Blue’s secondary this offseason. Yet, to this point, no such big splash transaction has been made.
Instead, the Giants have taken a different route in hopes of improving the backend of their defense, working the waiver wire and free-agency pool in recent days for intriguing, young talent.
The team claimed ex-Colts corner Shakial Taylor off waivers on Tuesday. However, Taylor’s tenure in New York was ultimately short-lived, as the team released him on Sunday as part of an eight-man dump to trim the roster down to 80.
With that said, Taylor’s vacant roster spot left room for the Giants to make yet another intriguing addition to their cornerback room, as the team has officially announced the signing of former Arizona Cardinals defensive back Jarren Williams.
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Williams’ Speed, Physicality Jumps Off Tape
Williams, a 5-foot-10-inch, 187-pound corner, originally signed with the Cardinals after going undrafted in this past April’s NFL Draft. The fact that defender’s Pro Day was canceled due to the coronavirus crisis certainly didn’t help the chances of him hearing his name called on draft day.
Still, Williams spent the “draft season” training in Ohio and wasn’t going to let his axed-Pro Day stop him from putting his hard work on display. D1 Columbus head trainer, Julian Lowe, shared a glimpse of Williams’ mock Pro-Day via Twitter back in March, and let’s just say the cornerback was moving during his forty.
Jarren Williams,DB University of Albany
40 yd dash snippet 4.28!!!
#draftprospect #nfl2020 #speed #NFL #CFL #XFL
Full Pro day here:
t.co/0sNCNWoF5y
While Williams ultimately finished his college career as a grad-transfer at Albany, he spent the majority of his college playing days at Saint Francis (PA), appearing in 32 games and accumulating 53 tackles, 14 passes defended and one interception.
However, despite his on-field dominance at Saint Francis (PA), Williams had bigger goals in sight, ultimately leading to his transfer to Albany.
“It was a great move for me because I’m grateful for my experience at Saint Francis,” Williams said, per Times-Union. “But it was a small D1 and when I was graduating, I wanted to go to a bigger program and showcase that I can play at a higher level.”
And showcase he did. Williams appeared in 12 games for Albany in 2019, accounting for 46 tackles (34 solo), three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one interception, in which he returned 63 yards to the house.
Over the entirety of his college career, Williams appeared in 43 games. While his knack for forcing turnovers was nothing special (two career interceptions), his physicality jumps off the screen. This is further exemplified by the 16 pass breakups he accumulated over his four-year run at Saint Francis (PA) and Albany.