New York Giants Training Camp Preview: Secondary

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Jun 16, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara (20) takes part in practice during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

As the month of July nears a close, that means one thing in the NFL; the beginning of training camps. For a team like the New York Giants, it will be another important training camp. Last season it was the offense receiving an overhaul, this time it will be the defense. They brought back a familiar face in Steve Spagnuolo to be the defensive coordinator, replacing Perry Fewell. Also, there are still some kinks to be worked out offensively, as second year offensive coordinator had a good rookie campaign last season in which he will look to build upon.

Also on Empire Writes Back: 5 reasons why the Giants will miss the playoffs

This could be a make or break season for the Giants from a franchise era standpoint. If they miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, we could see a real overhaul not only on the roster, but coaching staff as well. Tom Coughlin has overseen two Super Bowl titles as his time as head coach with the Giants, but very little success outside of that, missing the playoffs six times and being one and done in the playoffs the other four times they made the postseason.

Could the Giants break their streak of missing the playoffs, and continue their trend of winning the Super Bowl every four seasons? Training camp will give a lot of insight to where the Giants are at, as there are plenty of questions to be answered once the Giants open camp July 29th. We will have you covered on the storylines to follow here at Empire Writes Back, giving a position by position preview heading up to that date. The eighth and final position we will take a look at will be the secondary.

Depth Chart:

Starters: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB Prince Amukamara, SS Landon Collins, FS Nat Berhe, SCB: Trumaine McBride
Backups: Chykie Brown, Mike Harris, Josh Gordy, Mykelle Thompson, Taylor Cooper, Jeromy Miles
Potential Cuts: Bennett Jackson, Jayron Hosley, Chandler Fenner, Trevin Wade

This unit is arguably in more shambles than the offensive line. At least there they have an idea of what they are going to do; at defensive back there isn’t much set other than Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara will start on the outside, and Landon Collins will be playing somewhere.

Last season, Rodgers-Cromartie gutted through 16 games for an injury depleted Giants secondary. The secondary looked to be the strength of the team entering 2014, but injuries riddled them throughout the season. Rodgers-Cromartie was not able to escape them, as he battled numerous injuries throughout the season; despite playing in all 16 games, he was extremely limited in a number of them.

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Amukamara was one of the players an injury robbed of games last season, as he was in the midst of a breakout season. He already had a career-high three interceptions through eight games, but missed the second half of the season with a torn biceps tendon. He is back healthy for training camp, which is a great sign for the Giants.

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The Giants badly need Rodgers-Cromartie and Amukamara to be healthy because the gap in talent between the starters and backups this season from last season is greater, and they need their top guys to be on the field as much as possible.

One of those areas lacking depth this year from last is slot cornerback. Trumaine McBride has played well when there in his time with the Giants, but it has been a very limited time. He too battled numerous injuries, appearing in only five games last season. If he is unable to stay healthy, it could open up a chance for former third round pick Jayron Hosley. Hosley has been a bust pretty much since being selected in 2013, and this could be his last chance to show something and hold onto a roster spot.

Chykie Brown and Mike Harris both played well for the Giants last season when they were forced into the lineup. Their roster spots should be safe as backup cornerbacks that can not only play inside and outside, but also offer help on special teams. Both have earned a chance to play should the opportunity present itself either because of injury or ineffectiveness. Their versatility will be something Steve Spagnuolo will like.

Next: In Depth Look At Safety

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