When the New York Giants released cornerback James Bradberry for salary-cap considerations on May 9, the NFL team created a considerable hole in its secondary. The former Pleasant Grove High School and Samford star wasn’t only a former Pro Bowler, he also played 1,159 defensive snaps – all but 10 of the Giants’ total – in the 2021 season.
Who will play those snaps and be paired with Adoree Jackson as New York’s cornerbacks in 2022?
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“Definitely a great opportunity,” Giants second-year cornerback Aaron Robinson said. “Pretty much just come to work and seize my opportunity to get better every day and be around some great guys.”
Darnay Holmes also returns after playing 281 snaps in 2021, third among New York’s cornerbacks, and the Giants selected former Saraland High School standout Cor’Dale Flott in the third round of the NFL Draft on April 29.
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When asked on Thursday about the young cornerbacks vying for playing time with Jackson, New York defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale thought of Robinson first.
“I think he’s been doing really well,” Martindale said. “And they are all competing. It’s hard when you sit there and look at all the different corners right now because of how early it is. You know, we haven’t even had a practice in pads yet. And also, they aren’t in their top training-camp, fall shape yet. But what I’ve seen, I really do like. I love that room. And I think we’ve got the best secondary coach in the league, Jerome Henderson. I’m excited for that room.”
Jackson also considers Robinson in contention to fill Bradberry’s spot.
“I got here, I watched his film and I saw him at UCF,” Jackson said, “and I was like, ‘Damn, this dude can press. He can play well.’ And I saw where he went to Alabama prior, and I said, ‘That’s why he’s pretty good,’ because you’re really good if you’re an Alabama DB. A-Rob is very talented, and, you know, it’s all about working. …
“I felt like A-Rob stayed the course when he was banged up and came in and played and played highly well and put that on his resumé now, so when a situation happens like this, it give him an opportunity to come and play. Felt like he did what he needed to do, continued to work hard, continued to stay himself and stay focused throughout the whole process.”
The Giants added Robinson from UCF in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But he played 13 games at Alabama as a freshman in 2016 before transferring.
Robinson spent the first seven weeks of the 2021 season on reserve/physically unable to perform. He landed on the PUP list after having core-muscle surgery during training camp.
Robinson had been selected with the intention of using him as a slot corner, but by his fifth game, he was in the starting lineup. After two starts, Robinson missed a week on reserve/COVID-19, and he played only 48 defensive snaps in the remaining three games after playing 182 in the three games before being sidelined.
“Definitely a learning experience,” Robinson said last week about his first season. “A lot of it was mental for me at first. I had some great guys around me helping me and bringing me up until I was able to get back out there and help them anyway I could.”
The Giants have four days of Organized Team Activity practices and a three-day mandatory minicamp left on their offseason schedule.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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