Getty Michael Davis #43 of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The New York Giants hit a home run this past offseason when they inked James Bradberry to a $45 million deal. Met with its fair share of critique initially, Bradberry not only lived up to his big payday in 2020 but by most accounts, exceeded it. The 27-year-old solidified his placement amongst the NFL’s elites at his position, while simultaneously supplying the Giants with a No. 1 cornerback for the foreseeable future.
Yet, despite Bradberry’s brilliance, questions opposite the star defender remain greatly relevant. The No. 2 cornerback job was a revolving door for the G-Men this past season. Corey Ballentine, Isaac Yiadom, Ryan Lewis and Julian Love were all pressed into duty at one time or another, all putting forth varying degrees of mediocre to average play.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan recently detailed New York’s “weakness” opposite Bradberry and how it limits the Giants’ defensive scheme.
The spot opposite Bradberry was a weakness all season. Patching that spot with fringe NFL players limited Graham’s ability to play his preferred man coverages. Adding a competent No. 2 cornerback will broaden Graham’s options.
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Chargers CB Michael Davis, the Answer Opposite Bradberry?
Duggan believes that the “ideal option” for the Giants in the 2021 free agency pool is Cincinnati Bengals cornerback William Jackson. Unfortunately, Jackson will likely warrant big money on the open market. Considering the Giants are somewhat strapped for cash at the moment, Jackson could very well (and very quickly) price himself out of New York’s plans.
With that said, a solid compensation prize could be Chargers cornerback Michael Davis. A relatively unheralded defender, the lanky 6-foot-2-inch boundary corner offers enticing upside and would likely come at a fraction of the price when compared to Jackson. For these reasons, Duggan believes that the combination of signing Davis and drafting a fellow cornerback is New York’s “most likely outcome” when it comes to addressing the position.
Davis, 26, could be an affordable option who has shown signs of development in recent seasons.
Don’t expect the Giants to spend big at corner with so much already invested in the secondary. Signing someone like Davis and then adding a corner in the draft (possibly at No. 11) is the most likely outcome.
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Davis’ Continued Development
Originally an undrafted free agent out of BYU, Davis was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. As a rookie Davis appeared in 15 games (zero starts), serving mostly as a special teams contributor.
The following season, Davis would go on to unseat Trevor Williams (a former future 10 selection for the PFF’s top 25 under 25 team) in the Bolts’ starting lineup opposite Casey Hayward.
Davis would refuse to concede that role moving forward.
Over the past three seasons, Davis has drawn 35 starts, including 26 starts over his 28 game appearances since 2019. His role has continued to blossom throughout his time in Southern California, and in 2020, Davis put forth the most prolific campaign of his young NFL career.
The California native played 92% of the Chargers defensive snaps this past season, a 24% increase from his previous career-high. With the added playtime, Davis recorded personal bests in tackles (64), pass breakups (14) and interceptions (3), the latter of which led all Chargers players on the year.
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