New York Giants Top-5 cornerbacks to replace Deandre Baker
By Ed Stein
Tie No. 5 – Julian Love/ Corey Ballentine
New York Giants Head Coach Joe Judge and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham will evaluate players on their roster first. Love and Ballentine are products of Big Blue’s 2019 draft class, who showed good potential as rookies.
The G-Men had Julian Love penciled in to start at safety in 2020 before they drafted Xavier McKinney last month. He played corner at Notre Dame and did a decent job covering the slot when called upon to do so as a rookie.
Corey Ballentine was a raw prospect, selected in the sixth round from Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, an NCAA Division II school. He is athletic and picked up the mental aspects of the game as the 2019 season progressed. It may not be his time yet, but he’s gaining ground.
No. 4 – Tramon Williams
Tramon Williams is a player who worked his way up from the bottom. He went from an undrafted free agent, to practice squad member, to an eventual Pro-Bowl selection. Williams is also exceedingly reliable. In 13 NFL seasons, he’s missed a total of nine games. If hard work and dedication are a factor, the New York Giants couldn’t do much better than Williams.
Williams handles himself well off the field. He speaks his mind to the media thoughtfully and tactfully. Not to mention the mega-watt smile, he can turn on in front of the cameras. His teammates love him.
Unfortunately, he’s 37-years-old, so his best days are in the rearview mirror. Last year he started just seven games for Green Bay. In a Giants locker room full of young defensive backs, Williams is the mentor they need. As a young player, he learned from greats such as Al Harris and Charles Woodson. Those are lessons he could pass on to the next generation of New York Giants.
If Judge thinks one of his younger corners could become a starter by the end of the year, the G-Men could sign Williams to begin the season as a starter. They would phase him out as the year went on. He made $5M last season and would probably take much less for 2020.