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Cornerback is an underrated need for the New York Giants headed into 2023 NFL free agency. The blitz-crazed scheme called by defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale requires a lot of man coverage and puts pressure on cornerbacks to operate on an island.
Adoree’ Jackson answered the challenge for the most part in 2022, but the six-year veteran needs some help. Super Bowl-winner and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starter Jamel Dean fits the bill, according to Dan Benton of Giants Wire.
Benton made the case for Dean as part of an article for USA Today’s Touchdown Wire by Alyssa Barbieri. She asked team writers to name one free agent their clubs should want to sign this offseason, prompting Benton to recommend Dean, “a solid coverage corner whose size (6-foot-1, 206 pounds) would allow him to compete with some of the bigger NFC East wide receivers.”
While Benton also noted Dean will “take some risks occasionally but that fits right in with Wink Martindale’s defensive approach.” Ultimately, Benton believes the Giants finding “a quality player to pair with Adoree’ Jackson” can be as valuable as signing an inside linebacker, guard or wide receiver.
The Giants need better athletes on the back end after allowing 21 touchdowns through the air this season. Dean is a great fit based on his winning experience and scheme knowledge with the Bucs.
26-Year-Old an Ideal Scheme Fit for New York Giants
Four years in Tampa Bay have perfectly equipped Dean to play in a Martindale-coached defense. Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles was Dean’s defensive coordinator his first three seasons in the league, and Bowles also runs a blitzing, man-heavy scheme.
Dean has remained solid in all areas under Bowles’ tutelage. No. 35 only intercepted two passes this season, both against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, but Dean still performed well in coverage.
He allowed a mere 36 completions from 65 targets in 15 starts, per Pro Football Reference. The same source also detailed how opposing quarterbacks had a 55.4 completion percentage when targeting Dean.
Those numbers show a cornerback adept at winning one-on-one matchups on the outside, but Dean can also be useful as part of pressure packages. He blitzed three times this season, down from seven in 2020 when Dean started every playoff game, including when the Buccaneers thrashed the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV.
Bowles was never shy about sending Dean after quarterbacks or leaving him to play man coverage behind pressure. Both things would help Dean adapt easily to a Giants’ defense that blitzed a league-high 39.7 percent of the time during Martindale’s first season on the headset.
Martindale won’t stop blitzing, so the Giants need more quality corners to ease the burden on Jackson.
Healthy Adoree’ Jackson Crucial to Giants’ Defense in 2023
Jackson missed seven games this season due to a sprained MCL. His absence was felt when the Giants lost 28-20 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, with CeeDee Lamb catching six passes for 106 yards.
Things were even rockier for a Jackson-less secondary four weeks later, when Justin Jefferson’s 12 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown helped the Minnesota Vikings win 27-24.
Jackson returned for the rematch in Minnesota in the Wild Card Playoffs. His impact was immediate and obvious, as the veteran shut down Jefferson, arguably the most dynamic wide receiver in football, to help key a 31-24 Giants win.
ESPN’s Field Yates cited numbers from Next Gen Stats to show how well Jackson fared against this season’s leader in receptions and yardage:
The Giants need Jackson on the field as much as possible next season, but they also need another starting corner with shutdown ability.
A Jackson and Dean duo would help cope with the quality receiving tandems in the NFC East, where the Cowboys have Lamb and Michael Gallup, the Washington Commanders boast Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, while the Philadelphia Eagles field A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.
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