While Cor’Dale Flott spent the offseason and training camp as the favorite to land the Giants’ No. 2 cornerback job, he has not locked down the gig. As a result, uncertainty defines this position as cutdown day nears.
Hundreds of players will soon become available via waivers, and the Giants will be monitoring this situation closely. They are expected to address this position following Tuesday’s cutdown to 53 players, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes (subscription required). The team may be on the hunt for depth, but this effort also figures to involve a search for a player who could move into the starting lineup opposite Deonte Banks.
The Giants had been preparing to move Flott from the slot to a boundary starter role, but the former third-rounder’s struggles during camp have left the door open for Nick McCloud. The latter, who began his NFL career with the Bills during Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll‘s time with the AFC East club, has pushed Flott for the job. A quad injury has also intervened for Flott, further limiting the third-year corner’s chances of being a starter to open the year.
This obviously does not represent an ideal juncture for a team to be looking for a potential starter, but teams have used the period before cutdown day as a trade window for several years now. The Giants would have that option, but if nothing else, a Wednesday waiver claim appears likely.
Hard Knocks revealed a heavy interest in second-round corners; rather than trade up for one of their two second-round targets — Kool-Aid McKinstry and Kamari Lassiter — the Giants stood down and chose safety Tyler Nubin at No. 47. The Giants re-signed McCloud on a one-year, $2.99MM deal but guaranteed the former waiver claim nothing. This represents a low-end investment at outside corner this offseason. The team looks to be circling back to this need area.
If Flott is unable to cross the finish line in this CB2 competition, it would remind of last year, when the Giants changed their CB plan early. The team had aimed to use 2023 sixth-rounder Tre Hawkins as its starter opposite Banks, having shifted Adoree’ Jackson into the slot to accommodate the then-rookie. Don Martindale quickly benched Hawkins, moving Jackson outside once again. Eyeing Flott (or a potential second-round pick) to start opposite Banks, the Giants did not re-sign Jackson, who remains a free agent.
Nubin may not have been Big Blue’s preference at No. 47, but after trailing Dane Belton in a competition to start alongside Jason Pinnock, the Minnesota product has made a late charge. It appears Nubin is moving past Belton for the starting job, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. Nubin’s draft slot made him an obvious starter candidate, but an injury early in camp provided a setback. It is now looking like Nubin will follow former Golden Gophers teammate John Michael Schmitz as a second-round rookie who becomes an immediate starter.
Of course, this secondary will be one of the NFL’s least experienced, as the Giants moved on from Jackson and Xavier McKinney. This will be a position group to monitor as teams rearrange their rosters over the next few days.