Matt Citak: The Giants addressed several positions of need during the first week of free agency, but perhaps none more so than the secondary. Within the first 24 hours of the negotiating period, reports came out that the Giants agreed to terms with two of the top players on the market at their respective positions in cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevón Holland.
Let's start with Adebo, who has developed the reputation of being a ball hawk through his first four NFL seasons. The veteran corner has registered 10 interceptions in 52 career games and has three campaigns with three or more picks. On top of his takeaways, Adebo has also totaled 47 passes defensed. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound cornerback missed more than half of last season due to a broken leg, but in only seven games, he had three interceptions and 10 passes defensed. This came after notching four interceptions and 18 passes defensed the year before.
Moving over to Holland, the talented safety has shown that he can play all over a defense. He has a track record of success in both coverage and run defense, evidenced by his five interceptions, five sacks, five forced fumbles, 25 passes defensed and 301 total tackles (219 solo) through his first 60 games. Just as important as his strong stats, Holland proved during his time in Miami that he can be the quarterback of a defense.
The thing that excites me the most about these signings, outside of adding two quality starters, is their age. Adebo will have just turned 26 when training camp begins in July, while Holland just turned 25 a few weeks ago.
The two of them are joining a defensive backfield that consists of Deonte Banks (24), Dru Phillips (23), Tyler Nubin (23), Cor'Dale Flott (23), and Dane Belton (24), among others. Adebo will be the most senior member of the secondary at just 26 years old. This will allow the young nucleus of defensive backs to really grow together as they enter their prime years.
Marquand Manuel, the team's new secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator, comes to the Giants with 13 years of coaching experience in the NFL, including the last 10 in which he served as either a position coach or defensive coordinator. If Manuel can help mold these young defensive backs like he's done over the past decade with several teams, then this group has the potential to develop into a strength of the defense.