New York Giants: Eli Apple Will Spend Rookie Year on Sidelines

The New York Giants signed cornerback Leon Hall, which drops Eli Apple to No. 4 on the cornerback depth chart. How much will he play?

Don’t worry about New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple in the upcoming season, he’ll sparingly touch the field as a rookie.

According to NFL Network reporter Rand Getlin, the Giants signed former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall:

Hall became an established slot cornerback in the previous year, which bumps Apple to No. 4 on the depth chart. ‘

How many dime packages do teams utilize with the No 4. cornerback, who’s also a rookie playing with primarily outside experience? Very little, if at all.

The Giants will sit Apple for at least year, while Hall plays out his newly signed one-year deal.

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The Giants’ decision to sign Hall indicates one or both of the following: the Giants drafted the best player on their draft board, and Apple didn’t look particularly good playing in the slot through several practices.

We can all look back and say general manager Jerry Reese should’ve drafted a linebacker or offensive tackle at No. 10. Reese caused mini outrage with an outside cornerback despite signing Janoris Jenkins to a five-year, $62.5 million deal, per spotrac.com, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie already on the roster.

Now, Hall’s addition pushes Apple’s potential impact back to the 2017 season. Typically, front offices expect top-10 selections to play a decent amount of snaps as rookies to build a foundation for the second year.

In Apple’s case, he’s going to learn from the sidelines and gain basic understanding in his second season, which sets up a pivotal third year. For the long term, it’s beneficial. For a general manager on the hot seat, the delayed development comes with a bigger risk.

Players such as offensive tackle Taylor Decker or linebacker Darron Lee could’ve started for the Giants at needy positions as rookies. Instead, Reese decided to draft a player and pull him out of his natural position only to replace him after a week at training camp.

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With nine years on his resume as the Giants’ general manager and four seasons removed from a postseason run, Reese must turn things around quickly for the franchise. His decision to spend heavily on defensive players indicates his desire to win now. However, a top-10 draft pick, who’s not going to see the field until his second year and makes an impact in the third seems counterproductive.

In the best-case scenario, the Giants put together a winning season, which saves Reese’s job for another season, and Apple pans out in his second year after watching Hall put together a stellar campaign in the slot position.