The New York Giants’ 2024 season opener is less than two days away and they still have not made a decision on who will start at the No. 2 outside cornerback spot.
On Friday, head coach Brian Daboll was asked directly what the plan for the position was.
“We’ll make that decision. We’ll have someone in mind,” he said. “We’ll talk about that after practice today.”
The player Daboll might have in mind is veteran Adoree’ Jackson, who the Giants signed this week after getting little clarity this summer from the competition between Cor’Dale Flott, Nick McCloud, and Tre Hawkins III.
Jackson was left unsigned by the Giants — and every other team — this offseason after his three-year, $39 million contract with Big Blue expired in March.
Jackson insisted that he had other teams interested in him, so we’ll have to take him at his word, but no NFL camp reported any interest or scheduled any visits (we keep up on these things).
The former first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans told reporters this week that he could probably play around 60 plays if he was called upon but admitted it would be tough.
Daboll appears to be pleased with Jackson’s progress this week in practice.
“He looks good. In shape,” said Daboll. “He’s had a couple good practices. Picked up the system well. He’s been with Shane (Bowen) before. Encouraged by the last few days with him.”
Jackson knows Bowen and his style from their days in Tennessee together, so the learning curve and terminology shouldn’t be too difficult. The physical part is the question. It’s tough to hit the field after months on the couch.
“He’s done a good job in practice,” Daboll reiterated. “Upped his reps. He’s been out there. He looks good.”
We’ll see. This week’s opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, come in with some of the top receivers in the league in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
The Vikings, under head coach Kevin O’Connell, also love to pass. 81.1% (30-of-37) of their touchdowns last season were through the air, the highest rate in the NFL as was their overall offensive yardage (73.7%).
The Giants are in for a challenge this week. Jackson may be the key to whether they are up to it or not.
