Paulson Adebo’s Giants tenure has taken a strange turn before it ever really got rolling. The veteran corner, signed to a pricey deal, opened the season buried behind Deonte Banks, then watched a rookie get the next crack at meaningful snaps while he stood on the sideline.
That’s where the story of Sunday’s opener against the Cowboys gets interesting. When Banks left with an injury late in the third quarter, Adebo was the first corner off the bench. He promptly gave up a 15-yard completion to CeeDee Lamb on 3rd and 12 in the red zone, and Dallas punched it in one play later.
Then came the sequence that really stood out. On the next Cowboys drive, Banks returned, Greg Newsome got hurt making a tackle, and John Harbaugh chose Colton Hood over Adebo. Hood, a rookie, got the call instead.
Adebo said he didn’t take it personally.
“Colton is a great corner,” Adebo, 26, told the Daily News Thursday at his locker. “I’m thinking I want to see him go in and make a play. He was a second-round pick for a reason.
“I don’t take anything personally,” Adebo added. “I’ve seen Colton make plays. All of our corners can make plays.”
Harbaugh ended up needing Adebo again one play later when Banks limped off for a second time, but the larger message was hard to miss: Adebo is sliding, and the Giants need answers fast.
That matters even more with Monday night’s road game against the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford looming, because the cornerback room is already dealing with injuries. Adebo did not practice Thursday because of a knee injury.
Banks was limited with a calf injury. Newsome was limited with a rib injury, after clearing concussion protocol from Sunday and dealing with shoulder discomfort during Wednesday’s walkthrough.
That could mean a bigger role for Hood, who played only six snaps against Dallas and came out in the middle of the final Cowboys drive. Newsome said the rookie is built for it.
“Colton, he’s a pro,” Newsome said. “The way he picks up and learns is more vet like.
We have four or five guys who can start out there. If he’s called upon, he’ll be ready.”
Hood knows what’s coming if he has to chase Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
“Just stressing my technique,” he said. “They’re both great receivers. I just have to lay back on my training and trust my technique.”
He also said his NFL debut Sunday felt natural enough.
“It was exciting,” Hood said, adding, “I was prepared, waiting for my moment.” He said it didn’t feel much different from the SEC or the preseason, except for one thing.
“The only difference is the whole world’s watching you,” he said of the prime-time slot.
The Giants are clearly aware their depth at corner is shaky. Dru Phillips has already been tagged with three pass interference penalties in the slot, and the team added to the position this week by signing Jaden Robinson to the practice squad and claiming Nikko Reed from the Chargers’ practice squad.
Even with those moves, the bigger issue is getting the most out of Adebo. That’s what the Giants are paying for, and the numbers make that obvious: a team-high $17.25 million guaranteed base salary and a team-high $24.1 million salary cap hit in 2026.
Instead, a rough camp pushed him into a backup and special teams role. Against Dallas, he played just 10 defensive snaps and eight on special teams, and all three passes thrown his way went badly for him. Lamb beat him for 15 yards, Jonathan Mingo picked up 10, and Adebo dropped what should have been an interception on a deep Dak Prescott shot to Lamb.
Adebo said he knew he should have finished the play.
Asked where his role might be headed, he didn’t indulge the bigger picture.
“I’m gonna keep working my ass off,” he said. “Everyone in here is gonna keep working their asses off regardless.”
He also made a point of backing Banks, Newsome and Hood.
“We’ve got two great corners out there doing their thing,” he said.
Safety Jevon Holland echoed that kind of confidence in Banks after the opener.
“I think Deonte did a great job,” Holland said. “I love Tae.
I love his energy. I love how he plays.
I love his demeanor, how he treats his teammates, how his teammates see him. He earned that job, and for a reason, I think everybody in the facility will tell you the same thing.”
Adebo said he takes the role he’s given each week and tries to do it well, but he doesn’t view any of it as permanent. If he did, he wouldn’t belong in this league.
The trouble is that his Giants stint has trended the wrong way almost from the start. He had one interception in 12 games last season after recording seven picks in 22 games over the previous two years with the Saints. He also admitted this summer that he was “overall not good enough” in 2025, “regardless of whatever circumstance is going on.”
Now he’s an expensive, injured special teamer in a defense that’s trying to stay afloat. That’s a sharp drop for a player signed to matter.
Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said the Giants view the position as a four-man competition.
“When they get an opportunity to play and go out there, I expect the same results no matter who it is,” Wilson said. “To me, they’re nameless faces.
They have a jersey number. They are on the New York Giants, and we expect them to play at a high clip.”
Against the Rams, the assignment stays the same.
“We have to disrupt them early and let our front seven go eat,” Newsome said.
The problem is the list of reliable bodies keeps shrinking, and the corner the Giants spent big on in 2025 free agency is the one standing closest to the edge.
WATCHING THE O-LINE
Four more players were limited Thursday: left tackle Andrew Thomas (knee), right guard Francis Mauigoa (shoulder), defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck) and linebacker Micah McFadden (neck). Thomas and Mauigoa were key pieces in the Giants’ dominant run game and offensive showing against Dallas, and Thomas was also a full participant in Week 1 practices despite the knee issue.
The Giants also cut offensive tackle Ryan Schernecke to make room for Robinson’s signing. They will need to release another player from the active roster Friday to create space for Reed.
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