A familiar face is heading to the New York Giants’ secondary.
Big Blue is signing former Washington Commanders defensive back Bobby McCain to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Former Commanders’ defensive back Bobby McCain is staying in the division and signing a one-year deal with the NY Giants, per source.
McCain, an eight-year veteran from Memphis, started 16 games for the Commanders at safety last season. He joined the team in 2021 after playing his first six years with the Miami Dolphins.
The 29-year-old received a 61.4 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022. He’s the second cornerback to sign with the Giants in as many days; the team added second-year player Leonard Williams on March 20.
Here’s what to know about McCain, New York’s most recent free agent pickup:
Bobby McCain Is a Versatile Fit for the New York Giants
McCain brings 11 career interceptions to his second NFC East team.
He also brings a knack for big plays at MetLife Stadium, logging two interceptions against reserve quarterback Jake Fromm and the Giants to close out the 2021 regular season — and then-head coach Joe Judge’s tenure.
His biggest play: a 30-yard pick six returned for his first career touchdown.
Fromm the quarterback’s hands to Bobby McCain’s 💥
📺 » FOX | #WASvsNYG
His nose for the football will serve McCain well in New York. No team had fewer interceptions than the Giants’ six last season. McCain, who entered the league as a cornerback and can play the slot, should help in that category.
He can also help fill a leadership void in the secondary. Former team captain Julian Love signed a two-year deal with the Seahawks this offseason; a veteran voice could help smooth the transition.
McCain isn’t shy about using that voice, either. This mic’d up clip from the Commanders’ Twitter shows he’s a bit of a talker.
We had Bobby McCain on the 🎤 on Saturday
Are More Moves Coming for the New York Giants?
General manager Joe Schoen will need to sign or anyone else.
According to OverTheCap.com, the team dipped under $800,000 in cap space on March 20 after entering the free agent tampering window with $46.87 million in space, the fourth-most in football. As of March 23, the Giants had $3.7 million in cap space.
Those funds dried up quickly with quarterback Daniel Jones’ new contract, running back Saquon Barkley’s franchise tag and a flurry of other offseason moves.
The team restructured the contract of newly acquired tight end Darren Waller for more cap savings, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Schoen told reporters at the NFL’s scouting combine that his front office has “some ideas in mind about where we can open up some money.” And restructuring defensive lineman Leonard Williams’ deal to ease his $32.2 million cap hit should be atop Schoen’s list, according to NJ.com beat reporter Daryl Slater.
“Reworking the deal (perhaps with a small extension) makes more sense,” Slater wrote on March 1. “Schoen can lower Williams’ cap hit if he converts some of (Williams’ $18 million base salary) into a signing bonus, as he did before 2022. And as a result of last year’s restructure, Williams now has a 2024 void year tacked onto the end of his deal — with an automatic $5.9 million dead money hit.”
Reworking Williams’ contract isn’t the only option on the Giants’ table. The team can also look to extend young stars like offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. He could command up to $25 million per season on a new deal, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
Like Williams, though, Thomas’ base salary could be manipulated to give his team a little more financial breathing room.
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Giants Signing Cornerback From NFC East Rival: Report