The New York Giants chose not re-sign safety Jabrill Peppers this offseason and then released veteran Logan Ryan. That left just two safeties on the roster — Xavier McKinney and Julian Love.
McKinney is a budding star and the Giants plan on centering much of what they do on defense around him. Love has had an up-and-down ride with the Giants thus far after being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft. He’s started just 17 games, not all at safety.
In short, the player former head coach Joe Judge called “duct tape” for his ability to “fix” situations in a pinch, will now play a more definitive role in incoming defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s scheme.
“All I know is we’re going to have a lot of fun with me this year,” Love told Newsday’s Tom Rock this week. “I’ve always felt like I was a guy who was kind of selfless in his role, to do whatever was needed, and now I’m excited to take charge and make plays and put myself in positions where I can succeed.”
Martindale’s scheme utilizes safeties in various ways, which should fit Love’s abilities perfectly.
“Right away it was so easy to talk to Wink,” Love said. “You can talk to him about anything. He’s a big fan of golf. Loves his Jordans. It’s been very fun so far. You feel like you’ve known him forever and it’s only been a couple of weeks.”
The Giants have added two rookies to the mix — Dane Belton and Yusef Corker — last week which solidifies Love’s importance even more as a veteran.
“The room has cleared out and we’re young,” Love said, “but me and Zay [McKinney] have really been proactive in getting in the film room, putting in the time, getting the defense down early so when these new guys come in we can help bring them along sooner.
“Honestly, we’re not in a position as a team to let the rookies figure it out on their own. We need to bring those guys along quick. That’s real. We’re excited for these guys to get in so we can help them out and we can get going as a team.”
