Giants add help for secondary
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Giants’ cornerback carousel continues.
Joe Judge and the Giants stole undrafted rookie free agent corner Madre Harper off the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad on Tuesday.
This acquisition marks the Giants’ latest stab at adding competent and competitive talent to their second starting corner position, which has been a revolving door.
Defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said Judge had reviewed Harper’s film and believed he can help the Giants at a position of major need.
“Right now I don’t know a lot about him,” Henderson said early Tuesday afternoon. “I just found out from Coach Joe that we had signed him, and Coach Joe took a look at him and really liked his physical skill set and his demeanor as a player and thought it was a guy we’d benefit from having on the roster. So I’m excited to work with him and get to know the kid.”
Harper can officially sign on Thursday once he passes through two days of COVID-19 testing beginning Wednesday morning. The Giants promised him an extra $25,000 to lure him away from Las Vegas, per ESPN. Once he officially signs, the club will have to release a player in a corresponding move.
Harpershould have every opportunity to claim a starting outside corner job once he acclimates. Free agent signing James Bradberry has been far from perfect, but he’s entrenched as the team’s top corner and is a bonafide NFL player. The Giants can’t say the same yet about their personnel on the other side.
Corey Ballentine didn’t last two weeks as the starter there until a Week 2 benching for Isaac Yiadom. Yiadomthenwasreplacedin the second half of Sunday’s loss to the 49ers by Ryan Lewis. The lack of talent at that position is due to GM DaveGettleman’s poordrafting and signings at that spot. Hetraded up to draft DeAndre Baker in the 2019 first round. The team released him before the season after he was charged with four felony counts of armed robbery with a firearm.
Gettleman also drafted Ballentine in the sixth round in 2019 and used a third-round supplemental pick on Sam Beal in 2018.