When examining the New York Giants 53-man roster, there are certainly areas of strength and spots you could point to as obvious weaknesses.
It’s unlikely any fan would mistake Big Blue’s cornerback room for a strength, but don’t try telling that to veteran Greg Newsome, who believes the team has the best group of defensive backs in the entire NFL.
“I think we got the best cornerback room in the league. When you talk about depth and just guys having the ability to play. I feel like all of us can be out there Week 1 and play at a very elite level,” Newsome told reporters.
You have to admire the veteran cornerback’s confidence in himself and his teammates, but the fact of the matter is that’s just not an accurate assessment.
John Harbaugh Yet to Name Starters at CB For Giants
Cornerback can certainly be considered a weakness for the New York Giants, due to the sheer fact that they don’t even have designated starters for Week 1, with just over a week until the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
John Harbaugh was asked about the current state of the competition at his Wednesday press conference, and in classic Harbaugh fashion, he declined to give a straight answer.
“It stands where it stands”
“It stands where it stands, and we’ll be moving forward with it, and we’ll see where it goes. How’s that? Is that sufficiently vague?” Harbaugh said with a smile.
Now there are two ways Giants fans can read that. Either Harbaugh is declining to name starters to keep some semblance of a competitive advantage over the Cowboys, so they’re unsure who will be lined up across from Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens in the season opener.
Or the Giants still have no clue themselves who those starters are going to be.
Analysis of the Giants CB Room
On the New York Giants’ first unofficial depth chart, cornerbacks Newsome and Paulson Adebo are listed as the starters, but that’s unofficial for a reason.
It really does feel like a wide-open competition, as any Giants fan wouldn’t be shocked to see second-round rookie Colton Hood, former first-round bust Deonte Banks, or even veteran Dru Phillips out there once Week 1 rolls around.
If I had to predict who will take the MetLife Stadium turf on Sunday Night Football next weekend, my bets would be on Hood and Newsome.
Both players, despite Hood’s lack of experience and Newsome’s up-and-down play over the last few years of his career, were handpicked by Harbaugh and his staff this offseason. All the other options are holdovers from the previous partnership of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen.
Hood is clearly the Giants’ long-term plan at the position, given the fact that they invested a premium second-round draft choice in him just this past April. Sure, he’ll have some struggles as a rookie, but he’ll need to take those lumps to become a better player.
Newsome, on the other hand, has the talent. He’s a former first-round draft pick and has upside. After bouncing between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars last season, he’s hoping to make a permanent home for himself in New York.
Greg Newsome Provides Eyebrow-Raising Analysis of Giants’ CB Room