The Giants didn’t add Greg Newsome II to keep him in the background, and Week 1 makes that clear right away. His first game in the initial 53-man roster sends him into one of the toughest cornerback tests on the schedule, with Dallas putting CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the other side.
That’s a problem the Giants can’t solve with one player alone. Paulson Adebo, Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips, Nic Jones, Colton Hood and Newsome make up a cornerback group with enough bodies to share the load, but not enough to let anybody disappear. The Cowboys can stress all of them with formations that demand communication, route exchanges and solid tackling in space.
Newsome’s value in this matchup does not depend on shadowing one receiver snap after snap. The Giants need him to be steady in whatever role the game asks for, because the Cowboys will look for every soft spot in the secondary. He has the NFL experience to help when the assignment gets messy, and that matters in a room where Adebo and Banks can work outside while Phillips handles work inside.
Opening night in Dallas is a tough way to break in a new cornerback mix, even with veterans in the room. The Giants need cleaner coverage calls and better play at the catch point than they showed too often last season. Week 1 won’t define the whole year, but a strong showing would go a long way toward proving Newsome can be trusted when the schedule turns nasty.
The safest approach is not to make him the answer to Lamb and Pickens by himself. It’s to make sure he’s part of the solution. A defense with playoff hopes needs more than two corners it can count on.
In Other News...
Giants Turn To Familiar Ravens Pipeline As Linebacker Need Grows
The Giants added a familiar face to their linebacker group this week, signing veteran Malik Harrison to the practice squad as they look for more help at the position. Harrison comes with a clear connection to the organizations new defensive leadership, having spent five seasons under John Harbaugh with the Ravens before a year in Pittsburgh, and the move gives New York a player who already knows the kind of system and expectations that come with that background.
For a Giants team trying to stabilize its depth, the timing matters. Harrison is expected to be in the mix quickly, but the signing also means the club has to clear room on a 17-player practice squad, adding a small roster decision to a bigger effort to patch up a thin spot on defense. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Still Have One Unsettled Roster Issue Before Week 1
Joe Schoen has made no secret of wanting more help inside, and the Giants are still treating defensive tackle as a spot that could use another look before Week 1. Over the past stretch, the team has brought in several defensive linemen for workouts, while also keeping options on the practice squad, a sign the front office is still sorting through ways to add depth to the middle of the defense.
For a roster that is otherwise trying to get through the final week of preparation, it is one of the last lingering questions on the table. No trade or signing has surfaced yet, but the Giants interest in upgrading that group has not gone away, and the timing suggests the search could continue right up to the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Part Of A Powerful Week 1 9 11 Tribute
The league is marking Week 1 with a wide-ranging tribute to the victims and heroes of the September 11 attacks, and the Giants will be part of it in ways that reach beyond the field. Across stadiums and broadcasts, the NFL is planning moments of remembrance and community-focused efforts, while the Giants and Jets will wear commemorative hats and T-shirts honoring first responders.
The local piece of the gesture is especially pointed in New York, where the Giants, Jets and Washington Commanders are set to donate $1 million to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The NFL Foundation is also contributing $250,000 to 9/11 Day, adding another layer to a league-wide acknowledgment that is designed to be felt in the stadium, on the air and in the communities those games represent. [Read more 🡒]