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New York Giants: Reaction To Janoris Jenkins Signing

By Michael Papandrea

Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Giants began the revamp of their defense by signing cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Check out our reaction to the move.

The New York Giants are expected to sign cornerback Janoris Jenkins when free agency opens on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m according to ESPN. The deal is set to be worth $62.5 million over a five year span with $29 million in guaranteed money. That number would make him the second highest-paid cornerback behind fellow New Yorker, Darrelle Revis, and the seventh highest paid cornerback on a per year basis.

Jenkins has been a streaky corner with big play ability throughout his career. Since being drafted by the Rams in 2012, Jenkins has recorded six touchdowns, giving him the most for any defensive player in that time span. This past season with the Rams was his most consistent as he finished with 64 tackles, three interceptions, and 15 passes deflected in 15 games played.

The signing will come a day after the Giants signed pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul to a one year deal. The Giants will need more than Pierre-Paul if they want to construct a team with an elite pass rush – like the kind their two Super Bowl winning teams had. But the problem with that is the Giants gave up the most passing yards in 2015, putting them in line for a clear upgrade with Prince Amukamara expected to sign elsewhere.

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Amukamara’s time with the Giants was filled with injuries as he participated in 11 games in 2015 and eight in 2014. General Manager Jerry Reese is looking for a more reliable corner on the market and Jenkins fits the mold having missed just four games since 2012. Now the Giants have their two corners and can begin to focus on other parts of the defense.

Thoughts and whats next:

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The Giants likely overpaid for Jenkins, but they do have defensive holes to fill and money to spend. In a couple years, we may look back and see how much money the Giants saved considering how the values for players change over the years.

Just look at the contract of fellow Giants corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He gets paid $8 million this season and $8.5 in 2017 and 18, which looks like a less expensive deal now than when he originally signed it in 2014. It just goes to show how quick the market has been changing, and now the Giants have their cornerback duo until at least 2018.

It’s obvious that if the Giants want a better pass defense, they will need to hit the quarterback more in 2016. They ranked 26th in sacks last season, so look for them to improve the defensive line after bringing on a quality corner. They have signed defensive tackle Damon Harrison to help slow down the run game, and Olivier Vernon who is a top of the line pass rusher and elite run stopper as well.

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The Giants defense is much improved on the first day of free agency, as they are spending big in hopes of turning around what was one of the worst defenses in franchise history in 2015.

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