The New York Giants had plenty of needs heading into the 2025 NFL offseason. Quarterback was at the very top of the list, but cornerback was right up there, too.
Deonte Banks, the Giants’ 2023 first-round pick, had slid back significantly in his second season, and the team began to wonder if he could develop into a No. 1 cornerback in the NFL.
So general manager Joe Schoen got to work and secured the services of Paulson Adebo on Day 1 of free agency with a three-year, $54 million deal. Everyone slept more easily after that.
“We evaluated him throughout free agency. Thought he’d be a good fit for us,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters this week at training camp. “He’s a pro. He’s a good football player. Again, he’s learning a new scheme similar to what we talked about with (defensive end Brian) Burns.
“He’s had a good football camp. He’s been good in the meetings. He’s been good in a leadership role in terms of the cornerbacks. So we’ll keep on refining everybody, but glad we have Debo. He’s been a good teammate. He’s been a good signing for us throughout this process here.”
And, not to mention, they have their No. 1 corner and can assign Banks to the other side, or even the sidelines, if needed.
Adebo spoke with the media via Zoom on Thursday and discussed which side he preferred to play, mentioning that he was relegated to the left side in New Orleans to complement Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore most times.
“I think for me, obviously, in New Orleans, I played a lot on the left side, but that’s just because we had Lattimore on the other side,” he said. “So, we felt confident about having corners that can play either way. So that wasn’t necessarily a preference thing or me kind of choosing it. It was just kind of how things shook out. So definitely, I feel like I can play on both sides. And so, it’s not something that I focus too much on.”
With the Giants, Adebo will be afforded more latitude and perhaps move around more, but that will depend on who his partner ends up being, Banks or Cor’Dale Flott. Banks and Flott are currently neck and neck for a starting role.
Part of Adebo’s job is to impart his experience and knowledge upon his younger teammates.
“I think just any time you get to play multiple years in the league, there’s certain things that you can pick up on, whether it’s tendencies, whether it’s different splits or different route concepts that you can expect out of different formations,” he said. “So, I think that’s some of the stuff that I’ve been able to kind of share. And obviously, Tae has played a lot in this league as well. So, we kind of just see how we see different formations. What do you see here? What are you thinking about if a receiver is doing this to you? So, it’s a lot of just kind of back and forth, giving our perspectives on what we’ve seen.”
The Giants are hoping to create more turnovers, and Adebo has a history of being a ballhawk in college. He had 10 interceptions in his four seasons in New Orleans.
“I think for us, we’re focused on this year. But we’ve been doing a great job throughout camp, just kind of focusing on that, getting turnovers,” he said. “Obviously, turnovers are a big part of this game. And when you’re able to take the ball away from the offense and flip the momentum of a game and the energy that that brings in, that’s something that we’ve been definitely focusing on. And I feel like that, coupled with getting fumbles and just being a tenacious, kind of nasty defense, getting after the ball, all those things are things that we’ve been looking at throughout this camp.”
Adebo, a former teammate of current Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke at Stanford, has leaned on his friend to acclimate to the ways of the Giants.
“Just having somebody that has played in this defense, but not only that, somebody who has a level of knowledge and football wisdom that he has, I think being able to see how he sees the game, even going back to college, but after playing in the league for these couple of years and just really excelling, being an elite linebacker, the way that he sees the game, we definitely have conversations that end up helping me out as well,” he said.
So far, so good.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Paulson Adebo adding versatility, experience to New York Giants’ secondary
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
