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New York Giants Have Shakeup With Cornerback Depth

By Kenneth Teape

Jan 9, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake (41) returns an interception during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake (41) returns an interception during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Giants shook up their cornerback depth chart, signing Antwon Blake to replace Coty Sensabaugh.

The New York Giants had a very busy weekend. They freed up some cap space by agreeing to a long-term deal with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Geno Smith was also hosted for a visit and will be the new backup quarterback to Eli Manning.

With some money freed up with the Pierre-Paul extension, the Giants dipped back into free agency, shaking up their cornerback depth.

The Giants signed Valentino Blake. Ralph Vacchiano shared the news via his Twitter account.

Blake used to go by Antwon Blake but decided to go by his middle name, Valentino, last season. Blake began his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars before playing three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent last season with the Tennessee Titans.

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Blake has been rated relatively poor throughout his career by Pro Football Focus. His highest grade was in 2014 when he graded out with a 69.6. In 2016 he graded out with a 62.5. That ranked him 80th out of 112 qualifying cornerbacks.

Blake excels in run defense so he could find his way into the lineup in sub packages to help defend the run. He does struggle in pass defense but is actually an upgrade for the Giants.

Blake actually graded out better than rookie Eli Apple and Trevin Wade, who ranked 84th and 93rd with grades of 59.5 and 51.5 respectively. He is also an upgrade over Coty Sensabaugh, who he will most likely be replacing.

The Giants had hoped to retain Sensabaugh according to NJ.com, but he decided to sign a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like Blake, Sensabaugh excelled more in defending the run than the pass but did not do it as well as Blake did.

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While Blake comes with some negatives, he is an upgrade for the Giants. But, this shouldn’t deter the Giants from bringing in a veteran such as Leon Hall again. Blake is an upgrade over bottom of the depth chart players such as Sensabaugh and Wade, but would fall short of replacing Hall.

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