New York Giants are wise for trusting trio of young safeties
By Ryan Disdier
After a deplorable defensive season, the New York Giants made a handful of improvements through free agency. However, the team opted to not improve the free safety position, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The popular consensus on the internet is the New York Giants are wildly foolish for not addressing their free safety situation.
New York didn’t try to lure Eric Weddle to the team, and Tashaun Gipson elected to sign with the Jacksonville jaguars.
So instead of bringing in a big-name, the Giants are deciding to depend upon second-year man Mykkele Thompson, and third-year players Bennett Jackson and Nat Berhe.
Our own Johnathan George outlined why he believes the Giants are making a mistake by relying on the unknown players, and while I respect the hell out of George’s opinion, I think the Giants are making the right decision.
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First and foremost, the preseason competition is going to be great for all three players involved. Competing for a chance to start opposite Landon Collins will inject some juice into the secondary that’s been lacking ever since Antrel Rolle left town.
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This trio is unproven, sure, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’re bad. In fact, this group of young Giants has potential.
Jackson — who made the transition from receiver to cornerback in college, and then the transition from corner to safety after his rookie year — has a lot of athleticism and range. His experience as a receiver helps him play the ball, and he has good speed to knock down ball-carriers. Jackson may have the best range out of his competition, as he can man “center-field” duties that come with being a FS. Before he was injured last year, Jackson was running with the first-team defense.
Berhe, also known around the Giants facilities as “The Missile,” flies around the field. He’s an uber-aggressive safety who knocks people out and hits like a linebacker. Berhe plays with attitude, and he has confidence in his game. From a physicality standpoint, watching him and Collins line up next to each other would be a thing of beauty.
Thompson, last year’s fifth-round pick out of Texas, may have the toughest job contributing in 2016, as he suffered a torn Achilles tendon last year, which is typically harder to recover from than a torn ACL.
All three safeties are question marks, sure. But the team obviously knows what they have in the trio. Relying on them isn’t as crazy as it sounds, and spending big money on a free agent like Weddle or Gipson would’ve proven to be counterintuitive. It would essentially be the Giants throwing in the towel on both Berhe and Jackson without even seeing them in a starting capacity.
If the Giants decided to let the duo of Jackson and Berhe ride the bench for 2016, chances are they wouldn’t see the field much in 2017. So when their contracts would be up, fans would criticize the Giants for Reese’s draft picks not panning out. Give these guys a shot.
Perhaps Berhe explained it best in an interview last year that is still very much applicable today.
“It’s funny to me… how people were calling for younger guys to play, and now that we have the opportunity to play, it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness. The young guys are going to play,’ like, everybody’s scared,” Berhe said, according to an interview on Giants.com. “I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t play.”
To me, this is like before the 2013 season when everyone was saying the Giants needed a big-name, established tight end. Instead, the team went with what it had and what it knew, and it resulted in a breakout year for Larry Donnell.
Nobody knows if Berhe, Jackson and Thompson if will be great, but it seems silly to not even give these guys a chance. If you’re pining for a big-name safety to work in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, remember the starting safeties in 2007 and 2008 consisted of Gibril Wilson, Michael Johnson and James Butler.
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Spending money on another splashy signing isn’t necessary. The team can’t just rid of the rest of their remaining salary, after all. About $6 million needs to be allocated for draft picks, and the Giants would be wise to store money in preparation for the future.
Look, I know it’s tough to trust three guys who missed all of last year, but how does New York know what it has at free safety without giving the in-town talent a shot?
It’s certainly possible that New York adds a name in the draft, but the Giants believe in what they have on the roster, and for good reason. Don’t be shocked to see this inexperienced trio make some noise.