adoree jackson

New York Giants: How Adoree Jackson will actually help the pass-rush in 2021

by
new york giants, adoree jackson

The New York Giants did plenty to bolster their pass rush group this off-season, drafting Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith, and signing Ifeadi Odenigbo and Ryan Anderson. Adding four new options to the group should provide sufficient support after the OLB unit suffered serious injuries last season, with Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines going down for the majority of the regular season.

The Giants, however, looked at the pass rush as a weakness and supplanted it with resources, but one player they signed will have a direct impact on how efficiently the men in the trenches get after the quarterback.

One of the premier signings this off-season was former Tennessee Titan cornerback Adoree Jackson, who signed a three-year, $39 million deal with Big Blue. While the contract might be seen as a bit overzealous, Jackson has the ability to be a lockdown man coverage corner, which is how coordinator Patrick Graham envisions the defense moving forward.

It is clear that the defense will take a more man coverage-centric approach in 2021, as Jackson excels in press/man, being physical, and utilizing his elite make-up speed to trail faster receivers.

Graham now has himself an athletic corner who can expose matchups in coverage, and pairing him with James Bradberry, who is considered to be a top-five CB in the NFL after his performance in 2020, could make for one of the best duos in football.

How Adoree Jackson will assist the New York Giants’ pass rush:

Jackson’s influence will not only help the secondary but the pass rush as well. The Giants view every player as a piece to the puzzle, connecting in multiple facets and helping each other succeed. Replacing Isaac Yiadom with Jackson will give the Giants arguably a CB1 at their CB2 position, which will give the pass rush more time to get after the quarterback.

Last season, the Giants recorded 40 sacks, ranking 12th in the NFL with minimal talent at OLB. With more players to work with and an improved secondary, coverage sacks will be far easier to come by, which is where Jackson will play an immense role.

“In our system, we want to be able to play man [coverage], when it comes to third down, red [zone] area, two-minute [defense],” Patrick Graham said. “In this league, you’re going to have to play some version of man at some point.”

Graham was forced to operate with a three-man rush on third downs far too often in 2020 due to a reliance on zone coverage. With the addition of Jackson, he can depend on his corners to get the job done and send more blitzes, curating turnovers and stops in the red zone. This is especially relevant in the 4th quarter, with teams looking to drive down the field and score with little time remaining. The Giants need to be able to hold it down in coverage and force 3rd-and-long situations.

Luckily, the team had enough resources to not only provide better pass rushers to help in those scenarios but also bolster the secondary with a potentially great corner in Adoree Jackson, who will contribute just as much in his own way.

Giants’ DC Patrick Graham gives key hint in how defense will change in 2021

by
New York Giants, Patrick Graham

Based on the personnel decisions made this off-season by the New York Giants, it is clear the defense will be making a shift toward a more man-coverage-based scheme. In 2020, the Giants had a significant weakness at CB2, forcing them to supplement with zone coverage and additional help from the safety positions.

Big Blue quickly rotated through a variety of corners, including Corey Ballentine, Ryan Lewis, and Isaac Yiadom. The Giants traded a seventh-round pick for Denver Broncos’ former third-rounder, Yiadom, just before the start of the season, and he was asked to play a significant role despite lacking experience in the system and minimal in-person training.

However, the Giants recognized that void and found a key player to help upgrade the cornerbacks unit, signing former Tennessee Titan Adoree Jackson to a three-year, $39 million deal.

The New York Giants added a specific play in Jackson to their DB unit:

While some may believe the Giants overpaid for Jackson, he fits a specific mold that provides them the ability to expose matchups during the 2021 season. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stated that to win in the NFL, you have to play more man-coverage defense, which opens up the ability to send additional blitzers and get more creative with your packages.

When looking at the pairing of James Bradberry and Jackson, you see two different corners who can play against specific types of receivers. For example, Bradberry thrives in off-ball man coverage, walking down quality route runners that lack high-end speed. That doesn’t mean Bradberry lacks the makeup speed to keep up with faster players, but he simply plays with more finesse and relies on his fundamentals more than his athleticism. Bradberry has impeccable vision and spatial awareness, allowing him to capitalize on his fundamentals and stay on the hip of receivers.

Jackson is a bit different with his style, playing a more aggressive press coverage role. Against faster, more agile receivers on the outside, Jackson can use his quick-twitch abilities to jam and then trail adequately. Jackson has shown great makeup speed in the past, especially in scenarios where he falls behind by a step or two. He can quickly make up ground, which is a positive capability at the NFL level with some receivers capable of pulling away at any given moment — see Tyreek Hill.

With two corners capable of playing man coverage, it will open up the defense in their 3-4 scheme, giving Graham more flexibility with his outside linebackers and safeties. He can send additional blitzers to overwhelm offensive lines and put immediate pressure on quarterbacks, which will curate turnovers and mistakes.

Personally, I love this new style of defense that Graham intends to deploy, as it will rely heavily on a quality pass rush, which is why the Giants went out and added four new options to the unit. The additions of Azeez Ojulari, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Elerson Smith, and Ryan Anderson should all play a significant part in the season ahead. That is not even to mention the return of Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter.

New York Giants: Defensive backs return in leadup to mandatory minicamp

by
New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers

The New York Giants had a notable position group that wasn’t around for voluntary OTAs – the secondary.

The secondary has, of course, been touted as one of the most improved areas of the team this season. The Giants are now relying on the duo of James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson at corner, but also add new draft picks who will compete for a spot.

At safety, they have a promising group that includes Jabrill Peppers, Logan Ryan, and a healthy Xavier McKinney. However, despite the promising nature of this secondary, Giants fans have had to wait to see it in action on the field.

That will change as the timeline moves from voluntary OTAs to mandatory minicamp.

Based on official team sources, it looks like the defensive backs have turned up to team facilities for upcoming practices. That includes Bradberry, Jackson, as well as Peppers.

What should we expect during minicamp?

The Giants are mostly set at safety and it doesn’t look like there’s any big changes coming to the rotation, but the cornerback spot is less certain. While we already know which players are filling the top spots, there’s a lot more uncertainty behind them.

The Giants drafted Aaron Robinson in the third round and Rodarius Williams in the sixth – both of them play cornerback, so expect to see them in competition with returning players Darnay Holmes and Sam Beal.

The team has a number of options when it comes to their backup cornerback lineup, so this might be the most important part of the secondary to pay attention to during minicamp.

The Giants also brought in two other defensive backs from the Titans, Chris Milton and Joshua Kalu. Given the influx of additions, don’t be surprised if not everyone that comes into offseason training as part of the secondary makes it onto the final roster. The Giants aren’t exactly short on talent at the position, and minicamp is likely to be more competitive than OTAs.

How the New York Giants can maximize James Bradberry and Adoree Jackson in 2021

by
New York Giants, James Bradberry, logan ryan

New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is known for his unique blitz packages and incorporating man coverage into his scheme. In 2020, the lack of talent at CB2 forced the Giants to play more zone coverage, deploying their safeties to fill weaknesses in the defensive backfield.

Players like Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers, and Xavier McKinney filled voids that Isaac Yiadom and Ryan Lewis left in coverage while leaving James Bradberry to fend for himself on an island.

Bradberry ended up being one of the most essential pieces to the Giants’ defense in 2020, recording 14 pass breakups and locking down some of the best receivers in the NFL. For example, in week two against the Chicago Bears, Bradberry enjoyed 33 coverage snaps, limiting Pro-Bowl receiver Allen Robinson to 14 yards and recorded an interception. He consistently dominated quality pass-catchers, including Amari Cooper, DK Metcalf, and DeAndre Hopkins.

Opposing offenses started to recognize how good Bradberry was playing and overpowered the ball to the Giants’ weak spot. Gettleman and Co. realized it was a position they must upgrade this off-season.

How did the New York Giants solve their void at CB2?

In need of a quality corner to pair with Bradberry, general manager Dave Gettleman and the coaching staff elected to sign Adoree Jackson to a three-year, $39 million deal, formally of the Tennessee Titans. A close friend to Logan Ryan, Jackson brings an aggressive, man coverage style to the Giants, which fits exactly what Graham likes to deploy. Having played 50% cover-1 in 2019 with Miami dolphins, Graham seems all but set to return to his roots, utilizing a creative blend of blitzes and relying on his corners to hold it down in coverage.

Maximizing both James and Adoree should not be hard, but if you look into their styles of play, you can adequately match them up with specific types of receivers.

Bradberry plays a more finesse style, utilizing a trail technique and off-ball man coverage to read routes and break quickly. He doesn’t have elite make-up speed, so he’s better against premier route runners with average downfield speed. Jackson, on the other hand, is an aggressive corner with incredible make-up speed, making him a suitable match-up against go-route receivers.

For example, if you have a player like Jalen Reagor or Michael Gallup on Dallas, Jackson will do a solid job limiting their downfield play-making abilities, given his physical style of play and ability to make up ground on deep balls.

Taking a look at Bradberry, he allowed 10.3 yards per reception in 2020, and Jackson gave up 12.3 yards per reception in 2019, his last healthy season. This indicates that QBs are targeting Jackson on deeper routes, as he allowed 479 yards over 16 games, including just two touchdowns. He hosted the best coverage grade of his career with an 82.5, but is also an adequate tackler and is not afraid to get dirty in the run game.

I believe the combination of Bradberry and Jackson could end up being one of the premier cornerback duos in the NFL. If Graham utilizes them properly, which I imagine he will, they can really extract the most potential out of both players, allowing the pass rush to do their job and get after the quarterback sufficiently.

The New York Giants will have one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL in 2021

by
New York Giants, James Bradberry

The New York Giants‘ secondary was one of the team’s biggest strengths in 2020. Veteran cornerback James Bradberry led New York’s defensive backs to a stellar season in his first year with the team. However, the unit was not perfect and there was still a hole to fill in the 2021 offseason.

Opposite James Bradberry, the Giants struggled to find a consistent cornerback on the outside. CB2 was a major hole on the Giants’ defense. The Giants filled that hole in March when they signed veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.

The Giants signed Adoree’ Jackson to a three-year deal worth $39 million. He will be the starter opposite of James Bradberry and will give the Giants one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL this season.

James Bradberry stats and highlights

Many fans felt like James Bradberry was an All-Pro Team snub in 2020. He was selected to his first career Pro Bowl, but fans felt like Bradberry’s performance warranted a more prestigious reward.

In 2020, James Bradberry locked down everything deep. The Giants basically had an extra safety on the field with Bradberry at cornerback. On targets 20+ yards downfield, James Bradberry allowed 0 touchdowns and totaled 3 interceptions (T-2nd) according to PFF.

But Bradberry was not just a beast on the deep ball. He was also a true lockdown cornerback that could go one-on-one with any wide receiver. James Bradberry forced 14 incompletions in single coverage, tied for the most in the NFL in 2020 (PFF).

Bradberry set a new career-high with 18 passes defended, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL and only two behind Miami’s Xavien Howard for the league lead (Giants.com). PFF also ranked James Bradberry as the fifth-best cornerback in the NFL entering the 2021 season.

Adoree’ Jackson stats and highlights

It came as a shock when the Tennessee Titans released cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. The Titans cleared some valuable cap space but parted ways with one of the NFL’s best outside cornerbacks. When healthy, there are not many boundary corners better than Adoree’ Jackson.

Since 2018, Adoree Jackson has the fourth-highest coverage grade when lined up outside according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 85.6. This grade has Jackson on a list with stars like Jaire Alexander, Richard Sherman, and Stephon Gilmore. PFF also ranked Adoree’ Jackson as the twelfth-best cornerback in the NFL entering 2021.

Like James Bradberry, Adoree’ Jackson is elite when shutting down deep balls. According to Pro Football Focus, since 2017, Adoree’ Jackson has forced more incompletions on passes 20-plus yards downfield (18) than he has receptions allowed (14).

Adoree’ Jackson has played in only 14 games over the past two years. When he is on the field, Jackson is an elite outside cornerback. The Giants are hoping to see Adoree Jackson stay healthy in 2021 and shut down opposing wide receivers alongside James Bradberry.

New York Giants: Big name players take reluctant approach to OTAs

by
New York Giants, Leonard Williams

OTAs are the subject of much of the spotlight around the NFL right now at this point in the offseason, but fans of the New York Giants may have noticed that a number of big names were missing from the voluntary practice on Thursday.

These voluntary workouts are, of course, voluntary. There’s no hard requirement for players to turn up to them, but they have a valuable role nonetheless and it often raises eyebrows when high profile players miss out on them. It certainly has for the New York Giants, as it wasn’t just a tiny handful of players skipping but rather a number of influential impact players.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that the starting secondary was a no-show and that the team’s big name offseason additions were gone too.

First-round pick Kadarius Toney, big-money free agent signings Kenny Golladay and Adoree Jackson, and expensive re-signing Leonard Williams were among the 20 players out of 90 who did not attend.

This might rub some the wrong way as the Giants spent a first round pick on Toney and gave big contracts to Golladay, Jackson, and Williams. The organization has invested big in all of those names, so some will argue that they should appear more committed and show up for voluntary workouts in return.

It should be mentioned, however, that there’s been no drama around the team itself because of the matter. Players not showing up this time just seems to be a matter of preference, rather than the result of any dramatic situation such as one involving a big name player holding out for a contract or a player being unhappy with the team.

Even if 20 players not attending might be a reason to raise eyebrows, this doesn’t seem – right now at least – like anything to panic over.

The New York Giants’ secondary is loaded with talent entering the 2021 season

by
New York Giants, James Bradberry, logan ryan

The New York Giants defense was one of the league’s best in the 2020 season. Entering 2021, the Giants’ defense has only gotten better. The Giants defense allowed only 22.3 points per game last season, giving them a top-ten unit. Yet, New York still went into the offseason and added even more talent to their defense.

The Giants’ secondary was the strength of the team last year. Cornerback James Bradberry looked like a blanket on the field, consistently shutting down opposing receivers. New York also enjoyed a dynamic safety tandem of Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan. However, there were a couple of holes in the Giants’ secondary.

Opposite of Bradberry, New York had a revolving door at their second outside cornerback position. Corey Ballentine, Ryan Lewis, and ultimately Isaac Yiadom saw plenty of reps as the starter. The Giants recognized that position as a weakness and went out to fix it this offseason. Along with a new CB2 in Adoree’ Jackson, the Giants also added depth at cornerback and created an interesting competition at slot cornerback. The New York Giants have loaded their secondary with talent heading into 2020.

The Giants’ talented secondary

James Bradberry, Logan Ryan, and Jabrill Peppers were the stars of the Giants’ secondary in 2020. They also enjoyed the presence of a quality utility player in Julian Love. Xavier McKinney was also impressive at the end of the season coming off of an injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of his rookie season. Take all of this talent, now combine it with plenty more.

Adoree’ Jackson enters the Giants’ lineup as their new CB2. Jackson will allow the Giants to transition back into their more man-press-heavy coverage scheme. Since 2018, Adoree Jackson has the fourth-highest coverage grade when lined up outside according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 85.6. The Giants got a bonafide CB1 (when healthy) to play CB2 for them on the outside.

Darnay Holmes was an impressive rookie slot cornerback who did not allow a touchdown in coverage during the 2020 season. He will compete alongside new rookie Aaron Robinson out of UCF in the slot. A-Rob is physical and should see a good amount of playing time inside along with Holmes.

Then, of course, Xavier McKinney is entering his sophomore season. Xavier flashed great potential at the end of the 2020 season and will see plenty of playing time in 2021. He could have a major breakout covering the back end of the Giants’ defense.

On top of these talented starting-level players, the Giants added a lot of quality depth to their secondary. Isaac Yiadom started 10 games last year and will be a solid depth piece at cornerback. The Giants also added Rodarius Williams at the back end of the 2021 NFL Draft, another physical man-to-man corner.

The New York Giants took one of their strongest units and made it even stronger in the 2021 offseason. It was hard enough for opposing quarterbacks to move the football against the New York Pass Defense in 2021. The New York Giants’ talent-loaded secondary is going to make Sundays even more challenging for opposing quarterbacks in 2021.

New York Giants: Logan Ryan leads DBs in Tampa training

by
New York Giants, Logan Ryan

This will be another strange offseason for everyone. The NFL is still affected by COVID-19 and earlier in the year, the New York Giants joined the teams that would skip voluntary workouts due to the risk of the pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean that training is going to come to a complete halt leading up to the season.

While the team’s rookies and free agent tryouts performed at rookie mini-camp, safety Logan Ryan was making sure that the secondary also got in some practice. In this case, the location happened to be somewhere warmer than East Rutherford: Tampa.

Upgrades to the secondary for 2021

It’s important that the Giants secondary gets some experience early on working together because it’s going to be a different group this season. The biggest addition, obviously, is Adoree’ Jackson. With the addition, the Giants finally have a number two cornerback that they can be proud of and he’ll join existing corner James Bradberry, who already had a reputation from last season for locking up the other team’s best weapons.

The Giants will also have last year’s draft pick Xavier McKinney around from the start in 2021, assuming he can avoid picking up another injury in the offseason. While McKinney showed promise, he was only able to get on the field last year by the time things were already headed downhill.

The position group has further depth than it did in previous seasons, too – Jackson is not the only Titan to join them. They also picked up his former teammate from Tennessee, Joshua Kalu, after he finished with a career high 16 tackles.

Players don’t always adapt right away to having new teammates, so it’s good to see the Giants secondary working out as a group already. It may pay dividends later, if it helps the Giants and the secondary specifically avoid another slow start with a number of early season losses.

New York Giants have plenty of depth in talented secondary

by
New York Giants, James Bradberry, logan ryan

The New York Giants had a top-ten defense in the NFL last season. New York’s defense won with a strong interior of defensive linemen and a dynamic secondary full of young, talented defensive backs. There should be more of the same in 2021.

The Giants doubled down this offseason and made some upgrades in their already top-tier secondary. They made a splash signing in free agency this offseason, inking outside cornerback Adoree’ Jackson to a three-year, $39 million deal. This move potentially gave the Giants another elite starting cornerback opposite of James Bradberry.

But the New York Giants are no longer top-heavy in the secondary. They do not just have talented starters in their secondary. The Giants now have a secondary with talented depth.

Depth in the Giants’ secondary

The safeties

The New York Giants have a talented trio of safeties that will see significant playing time this season. Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan will build on what they started last season as the starting safeties. Ryan, that rangy ball-hawking free safety, and Peppers, that tough run-defending box safety. But the Giants also have Xavier McKinney entering his second season in the NFL. McKinney provides a nice blend of skills that would help him thrive in the box or in deep coverage. Expect to see the Giants run a lot of three safety sets this season to maximize the talent on their roster.

Julian Love will be the Giants’ depth piece for the safeties. Love got starting experience in his rookie 2019 season when Jabrill Peppers went down with an injury. Love was impressive and established himself as a perfect utility player for the Giants’ defense. Julian will provide depth in the Giants’ secondary as a safety, but he also has the skills and experience to fill in at slot and outside cornerback, too.

The outside cornerbacks

James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson could be one of the elite cornerback duos in the NFL this season. Bradberry played at an elite level last season, breaking up a career-high 18 passes with 3 interceptions and his first-career Pro Bowl selection. Jackson, however, barely saw the field in 2020.

Adoree’ dealt with a knee injury last season that kept him sidelined most of the year. This was his second significant injury in two years. Adoree’ Jackson is one of the best outside cornerbacks in the NFL when he is healthy. Since 2018, Jackson has the fourth-highest coverage grade when lined up outside according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 85.6. But his injury history does motivate the Giants to load up on depth behind him.

The Giants still have Isaac Yiadom on their roster. There were times where Yiadom was a liability in the Giants’ secondary last season. Isaac Yiadom might not be capable of being a full-time starting corner, but he does have experience and familiarity with the Giants’ scheme, making him a quality depth piece.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Giants once again prioritized the secondary. They drafted two cornerbacks this year: Aaron Robinson out of UCF and Rodarius Williams out of Oklahoma State. Robinson is likely to compete for the starting nickel corner position, but he has the versatility to contribute on the outside as well.

Rodarius Williams, though, is an outside cornerback that will begin his career as a quality backup. Williams forced 30 incompletions in his career (PFF). He has the aggression to play press-man on the outside, something of which the Giants want to do a lot more. Williams is a high-character, quality guy that will enter the Giants locker room. Check out our exclusive interview with him here.

Slot cornerbacks

The Giants are bound to have a competition at slot cornerback this summer. Darnay Holmes looked impressive in that role as a rookie in 2020. But New York added another slot corner in this year’s draft, Aaron Robinson. The two corners are both physical and have a knack for getting their hands on the football.

Regardless of who gets the start in the slot, the Giants have a good problem on their hands. They have two talented players that might be deserving of a starting role. That means that they have a lot of talent at the slot cornerback position and, of course, quality depth.

The Giants know the importance of having depth in the secondary. When Darnay Holmes and James Bradberry were both absent against the Cleveland Browns last season it was a long night on the field for New York. Baker Mayfield had his way with the Giants’ defense during that primetime matchup. Now the Giants have a deep secondary filled with young playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.

BREAKING: New York Giants sign former first-round cornerback Adoree’ Jackson

by
new york giants, adoree jackson

The New York Giants have made another big splash in free agency. The Giants have agreed to terms with one of free agency’s top cornerbacks, Adoree’ Jackson (per Ian Rapoport). According to Adam Schefter, the Giants signed Adoree’ Jackson to a three-year deal worth $39 million. This is the second big move New York made this week after landing 2021’s top free-agent wide receiver Kenny Golladay on Saturday.

The former Tennessee Titans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson was shockingly released by his former team last week. The Titans released Jackson to save over $10 million in salary-cap space. Interest amongst teams generated quickly and the Giants quickly set up a meeting with Jackson. Adoree met with New York on Sunday and Monday while Giants players heavily recruited the cornerback to join their team.

The New York Giants are landing a talented, yet injury-prone cornerback in Adoree’ Jackson. Jackson has played in only three of his last 21 regular-season games. He was placed on injured reserve in 2020 after suffering a knee injury just three games into the season.

While Adoree’s career in Tennessee ended with injuries and inconsistency, it began with impressive and reliable outside cornerback play. Since 2018, Adoree Jackson has the fourth-highest coverage grade when lined up outside according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 85.6. This grade has Jackson on a list with stars like Jaire Alexander, Richard Sherman, and Stephon Gilmore.

Adoree’ Jackson is a highly athletic cornerback that played primarily on the outside with the Titans. He’s a 4.42s forty-yard dash guy with a 36-inch vertical. Jackson topped 70 combined tackles in each of his first two seasons and racked up a total of 27 passed defended during that time span. Adoree Jackson has two career interceptions and three forced fumbles to his name.

Adoree’ Jackson has some question marks from his final two seasons in Tennessee. But he is still a young, talented player at only 25-years-old. A change of scenery could benefit Adoree. Playing opposite of James Bradberry in Patrick Graham’s defensive scheme with the New York Giants could be exactly what Adoree Jackson needs to get his career back on track.