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n the lead-up to the 2023 season, the New York Giants began a youth movement in their secondary, one that gave some pause for concern after a defensive insurgence carried them into a postseason berth in year one of the Joe Scheon-Brian Daboll regime. After erasing overpriced talent from the position, the

team added Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III via the draft. Both assumed the outside cornerback spots and headed a group of ballhawks with mostly under seven years of NFL experience. While this created an expectation for growing pains throughout the year, the Giants’ core of neophytes was able to flash some impressive moments as the season wore on. Their development in the Wink Martindale system led to

aggressive playmaking and timely forced turnovers, collectively helping make the defense a top-20 pass defense unit by the end of a 6-11 campaign. One of the best stories from the cornerbacks room was first-round pick Banks. The Maryland product drew early skepticism about where he was selected amongst his peers. Still, he proved he could be a diamond in the rough, posting 64 tackles, two interceptions, 11 pass

deflections, and six tackles for loss in 15 games as an immediate starter taking on premier opposing receivers. Banks’s work finished fifth on the Giants’ defensive leaderboard and showed his upside as a No. 1 cornerback who excels in both man and zone coverage. He led a supporting cast that is mostly set to return in 2024 but had consistency issues stemming from injuries that either sidelined guys or forced them to play out of their usual roles weekly. The Giants saw a full slate of games from just two cornerbacks, Hawkins and Nick McCloud. The latter finished as the team’s leading enforcer in the turnover department with one interception and three forced fumbles. The rest of the squad missed between one and three games, respectively, and only one of those players, veteran Adoree Jackson, amassed 60+ tackles in that span. If sheer rawness and injuries weren’t enough, the Giants secondary must adapt to a

new defensive system brought by incoming defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. It’s a quick transition that could be challenging for a youthful bunch without a full year together, yet one that showed they can learn fast, given their coverage improvements in the second half of the season. The Giants will have two cornerbacks testing the free-agent market in Jackson and Darnay Holmes. If both end up departing the

team as expected, it’ll lend to an even slimmer core that will need some reinforcements to become a better contender in the 2024 season. That should be the position’s focus as the franchise sets its sights on the free agency window and the NFL Draft in April. The franchise must somehow find the guys who can fit into the Bowen system, add that much-needed depth in case of the inevitable injury woes, or potentially serve as starters and mentors to the developing bucks next fall.