The Giants are signing former Jaguars cornerback Tre Herndon following his mandatory minicamp tryout with New York, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Herndon spent the first six seasons of his pro career with Jacksonville after going undrafted and signing with the Jaguars as a free agent following the 2018 NFL draft.
After making the 53-man roster and earning occasional playing time as a rookie, Herndon took over as one of Jacksonville’s starting outside cornerbacks in 2019, succeeding Jalen Ramsey following his early-season trade to the Los Angeles Rams.
Herndon had a career year that season, intercepting three passes, defending 13 and collecting 55 tackles including one for loss over 16 appearances. He started another 12 games in 2020 and tallied 76 tackles with four for loss, one sack and five defended passes, aligning both outside and in the nickel.
Herndon reverted to a depth role in 2021 after re-signing with Jacksonville on a one-year contract that offseason, a practice he repeated in 2022 and 2023. He produced 99 tackles with four for loss, 14 pass breakups and two forced fumbles over 40 games and seven starts in that stretch.
In his NFL career, Herndon has logged 243 tackles with nine for loss, one sack, three interceptions, 32 defended passes and two forced fumbles.
Jacksonville chose not to retain Herndon and released fellow former starting defensive backs, cornerback Darious Williams and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, as the team retooled its secondary this offseason.
In free agency, the Jaguars signed Ronald Darby to replace Williams opposite Tyson Campbell at outside cornerback, and safety Darnell Savage to play both nickel cornerback and on the backend. Second-year safety Antonio Johnson is expected to see an uptick in snaps due to Jenkins’ exit.
Jacksonville also selected cornerbacks Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince in the third and fifth rounds of the 2024 NFL draft, respectively.
