NFL training camp starts towards the end of July, which means players around the league are getting their last bits of offseason work in before the real work of trying to make the roster begins.
For certain players, this season is what some may call “Make or Break,” meaning they need to put together a productive year or they could be looking for employment elsewhere at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
We’ll highlight those players for the Giants, continuing today with cornerback Cor’Dale Flott.
2023 Stats
– 14 games (seven starts)
– 36 tackles and one forced fumble
– Five pass breakups and one interception
Why Make or Break?
The Giants were widely expected to either re-sign Adoree’ Jackson, use a high pick on a potential starting cornerback or sign one in free agency, but they opted not to do any of these things, instead suggesting that Flott would be given the chance to start in 2024.
Although Flott primarily played in the slot during his first two seasons, he’ll be moving to the outside. The third-year player has made 13 starts over the past two seasons, but he’s never been a full-time player, playing over 75 percent of the snaps just once in 2022 and once more last year.
The coaching staff is insisting that Flott is talented enough to make this move, and that he’s been having a tremendous offseason so far. If he does end up as the starter, the Giants will have the youngest starting cornerback duo in the NFL with the 23-year-old Deonte Banks entering his second year as the unquestioned number one on the other side.
The Giants did draft Dru Phillips in the third round, but he’s confirmed he’ll be competing for a role in the slot. The other main contenders for a starting role on the outside are the versatile Nick McCloud, who looks set to continue in a utility role, and Tre Hawkins, who began 2023 as a rookie starter but looked overmatched and soon fell out of favor. Veteran Tre Herndon was also added recently, but he’s another player who could be in the mix for a slot role.
What will break it?
Entering the season with Flott as their Plan A at the cornerback position seems a little reckless from the Giants’ perspective because he’s totally unproven and lacks experience of playing on the outside at the pro level.
Although they clearly believe in him and are satisfied with his progress so far, Flott has had some negative plays during offseason practices, with first-round pick Malik Nabers beating him for a number of big plays.
Flott also lacks ideal size for the position and it’s a gamble to assume he’ll be able to remain healthy all season if he’s in a full-time role for the first time. He is apparently trying to add some weight but will need to be careful not to compromise his speed and agility in doing so.
What will make it?
One of the reasons Flott was employed in the slot last year was because he was not really an ideal fit as a boundary corner within then-defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s scheme, which requires the cornerbacks to play physical press coverage. Now that Shane Bowen is the DC, Flott is no longer a very good fit in the slot because Bowen relies on his slot corner to step into the box and contribute against the run. That’s not Flott’s strength, because he lacks size and is an inconsistent tackler.
He should therefore be a better fit on the outside going forward, which is where some within the Giants organization felt he should have been all along, regardless of defensive scheme. Hope is therefore high that the former fourth-round pick will settle down and start to realize his potential.
From a roster-building perspective, you want young players to step up and establish themselves as affordable starters and the Giants are confident that they are not anointing Flott prematurely. He will need to repay the faith shown in him, though, because if he doesn’t he’ll soon become a player that teams look to exploit and fans label as a scapegoat.