PFF doesn’t like the Giants’ secondary, but think upgrading it was their best decision
The New York Giants rebuild has been a long time coming.
We’ll start to get our first real looks at the fruits of the front offices’ labor next week when the full team reports to training camp. But nobody can dispute that the Giants were active this year in upgrading as much of their roster as possible.
The work really got started in free agency, when the Giants made waves by signing two of the top young veterans on the market in CB Paulson Adebo and S Jevon Holland. The two are instant starters for New York and should also help to address the depth concerns that have plagued the secondary since Dave Gettleman’s tenure.
Pro Football Focus, in fact, cites the additions of Adebo and Holland as the Giants’ best decisions of the offseason.
Lost in the shuffle of the Giants’ quarterback controversy and drafting of third-overall pick Abdul Carter is the fact that they significantly improved their secondary in free agency. New York’s coverage unit was left wounded after Xavier McKinney’s departure last offseason. They’ve remedied that by signing ex-Dolphin Jevon Holland, who is tied for fifth in the NFL in PFF coverage grade since 2021.
The Giants also acquired veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo, who earned an 80.5 PFF coverage grade in 2023. With these additions, as well as their outstanding defensive line, the Giants’ defense carries a ton of potential into 2025.
Raptor’s thoughts
It’s somewhat interesting to me that PFF lauds Joe Schoen’s work in building the secondary, while also placing the unit in the bottom third (24th overall) in the NFL.
That said, I do agree that improving the secondary was a smart and important move for the Giants. Big Blue already had one of the fiercest pass rushes in the NFL. Their defense was 13th in pass rush win rate, ninth in total sacks, and fifth in sack rate — all while opponents threw at the third-lowest rate in the NFL.
That’s good, but what’s really impressive is that they were doing it without Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Azeez Ojulari for significant chunks of the season, while Brian Burns was also playing through multiple injuries.
Abdul Carter should not only be an upgrade over Ojulari, but the front as a whole should be healthier.
Upgrading the secondary should give the front more time to disrupt offenses. It could, or should, give Shane Bowen more options for deploying his players and creating coverage shells. Likewise, Adebo and Holland should help take pressure off Deonte Banks and Tyler Nubin, as well as generate turnovers, stopping offenses cold.
So yes, upgrading the secondary is an important move, but not their biggest move. That is, in all likelihood, transforming the quarterback position.
I’m not sure what “quarterback controversy” PFF is talking about. Russell Wilson is the starter, Jameis Winston is the primary backup while Jaxson Dart develops.
If we separate running from passing, as Tony did in his excellent look at Russell Wilson, the Giants’ new starter represents a significant upgrade at the quarterback position.
Daniel Jones wasn’t a bad quarterback in the mold of Mike Glennon or Brock Osweiler. He was, however, a quarterback who limited the offense in ways that made it relatively easy to defend. Jones’ running ability allowed him to scramble and extend drives, but he never really threatened defenses with his arm.
Wilson is still one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL, and the hope is that Wilson’s passing would allow the Giants’ receivers to all play up to their potential. And by opening up the vertical passing game, it would create more opportunities for the slot receivers, tight ends, and running backs in the underneath area of the field.
Likewise, quickly processing defenses and understanding where his answers are should help the offensive line. Meanwhile, fielding a competitive offense should force opposing offenses into more passing situations, giving the Giants’ pass rush and secondary more opportunities to ruin the other team’s whole day.
My belief has always been that the quarterback is the foundation for everything that takes place on the field. And if the Giants did successfully upgrade that position, that has to be the most important thing they’ve done.