The Giants’ cornerback situation may already be pointing toward 2027.
That sounds ridiculous in Week 3, especially with New York having played only two games. But Monday night’s 28-6 loss to the Rams made the problem impossible to ignore. Matthew Stafford threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, and Davante Adams piled up 195 receiving yards and two scores while the Giants’ secondary got picked apart in Los Angeles.
Even with Deonte Banks and Paulson Adebo sidelined, the performance laid bare how thin the room is. And the uncertainty doesn’t stop there.
Banks is in the final year of his rookie deal after the Giants declined his fifth-year option. Greg Newsome II is on a one-year contract that expires after the season.
Dru Phillips has become tougher to trust in the slot. Adebo, meanwhile, has not played like the player New York hoped it was getting after handing him a three-year, $54 million deal last offseason.
Adebo is also on injured reserve with a knee injury, which only adds to the mess. The Giants could decide to move on from him after the season, and the financial angle is hard to ignore: roughly $14 million in cap space saved, with $6.3 million in dead cap. Whether that happens will depend on the next 15 games, but the possibility is there.
Banks remains the most interesting long-term piece of the group. His Week 1 outing against Dallas was encouraging, and there’s still a path to him becoming the player the Giants hoped for when they made him a first-round pick.
But one strong game doesn’t erase three uneven seasons. Newsome could earn another contract.
Phillips could clean up the penalties. Adebo could rebound into the $18 million-per-season player New York expected.
A lot can change.
For now, though, second-round rookie Colton Hood might be the only corner the Giants can feel good about projecting onto the 2027 depth chart. That alone should put general manager Joe Schoen on notice when it comes to the 2027 draft class.
The idea of New York using a first-round pick on another corner will make plenty of fans flinch. The franchise’s track record there is rough.
Deandre Baker lasted one season after the Giants traded back into the first round to draft him in 2019. Eli Apple stuck around for two and a half seasons after going 10th overall in 2016.
Prince Amukamara, taken 19th in 2011, was solid more than spectacular over five seasons. Banks, selected 24th overall in 2023, is still very much a work in progress.
But John Harbaugh’s history in Baltimore offers a different picture. The Ravens drafted Marlon Humphrey 16th overall in 2017, and he has since made four Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro selections. They took Nate Wiggins at No. 30 in 2024, and he has already become one of the league’s more promising young defensive backs.
Harbaugh’s success extends beyond corner, too. Kyle Hamilton went 14th overall in 2022 and has developed into arguably the league’s best safety. It’s too early to know what Baltimore has in 2025 first-rounder Malaki Starks, but the larger point is clear.
If the Giants identify the right cornerback, their past misses shouldn’t scare them off. Davante Adams won’t care about old draft regrets.
There should be names to watch. Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore is the biggest one right now.
At 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, he’s one of the bigger corners in the class and also the best cover corner. Georgia’s Ellis Robinson IV and Alabama’s Zabien Brown are also drawing first-round buzz.
Miami’s Romanas “OJ” Frederique Jr., Texas Tech’s Brice Pollock, and Mississippi State’s Kelley Jones are other names worth filing away as the college season plays out.
There is still a long way to go before the Giants have to make any decisions. But with so many question marks already hanging over the cornerback room, getting familiar with the 2027 class now doesn’t seem so crazy.
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