Veteran cornerback expected to bring stability to secondary alongside Deonte Banks
CBS Sports recently released its list of the best offseason additions for every team in the NFC, and for the New York Giants, it was the addition of veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo.
Adebo joins the Giants after four years with the New Orleans Saints, where he developed into a physical, instinctive corner capable of handling outside coverage responsibilities. In New York, he’s expected to start opposite Deonte Banks, who is entering his third season and looking to bounce back after a down 2024 campaign. Banks has showed flashes of potential but struggled with consistency, and the hope inside the building is that a more reliable partner across from him will help settle things down.
The Giants moved on from Adoree’ Jackson this offseason, leaving a leadership void in the cornerback room that Adebo is now expected to help fill. His experience, ball skills, and toughness give the Giants something they didn’t have last year a proven NFL starter with the ability to hold up against top receivers week in and week out.
This is also Year 2 under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Bowen’s scheme emphasizes communication, versatility, and discipline, areas where the Giants struggled last year, especially on the back end. The addition of Adebo, along with the free-agent signing of safety Jevon Holland, signals a clear commitment to tightening up the secondary.
Holland, one of the most consistent safeties in the league during his time in Miami, brings leadership and playmaking range to a safety group that also includes second-year players Tyler Nubin and Andru Phillips, as well as returning veterans Cor’Dale Flott and Dane Belton. Between that young nucleus and the new look at cornerback, the Giants are hoping to put last season’s secondary issues behind them.
While most of the offseason buzz in New York centered on the quarterback room with the arrivals of Russell Wilson and rookie Jaxson Dart, CBS pointed to Adebo as the most likely newcomer to make an immediate difference on the field.
It’s a fair assessment. Adebo isn’t a headline-grabber, but he’s steady, experienced, and gives the Giants a ball-hawking cornerback who can handle No. 1 wide receivers.
There’s still pressure on Banks to improve, and the rest of the secondary remains young, but with Adebo and Holland now in the mix, the Giants should be much-improved in the secondary.
If this defense is going to take a step forward, Adebo is going to be a big part of the reason why.
