Latest news with #PaulsonAdebo
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New York Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' that Shane Bowen is looking for
The New York Giants have focused on improving their secondary over the past few seasons through both the draft and free agency. They've brought in Deonte Banks, Tyler Nubin, and Dru Phillips in the draft and this offseason, signed Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. Advertisement While the team is high on all of those players, it has been one on their roster for years that has been balling out at organized team activities (OTAs). Safety Dane Belton, a fourth-round pick out of Iowa back in 2022, has been standing out in workouts this spring. He is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract and appears intent on forcing the Giants to extend him. "Dane has been really good for us here early. Like he's had a really good spring," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said this week. "Finding ways to get him on the field, what he can do for us to help us." Belton had another interception in practice on Thursday, his third this spring. That had to please Bowen, who earlier in the day outlined his defensive philosophy for the upcoming season. Advertisement "The main thing is emphasizing takeaways. We got to get better at takeaways," Bowen said of his unit, which was 28th overall in the NFL in that category last season. "Somehow got the idea of piracy, violent, attacking to steal possessions or goods, right? You'll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseum: 'Be a damn pirate.' We've got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We're making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball." Belton is doing that. The only issue is that he won't be a starter no matter how many picks he has this summer. The second-year Nubin and Holland have sealed those jobs up. But that doesn't mean he will be relegated to the bench. There's always room for playmakers. Last year, Belton felt he should have been given a shot at starting, but was aced out by Nubin and Jason Pinnock, who is no longer with the Giants, replaced by Holland. Belton did get to start six games but only when there was injury to the starters. He made 15 total tackles in the Giants' Week 15 loss to Baltimore and had an interception against Indianapolis in Week 17. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' Shane Bowen is looking for
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CBS Sports names Paulson Adebo Giants' top offseason move
CBS Sports recently released its list of the best offseason additions for every team in the NFC, and for the New York Giants, it was the addition of veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo. Adebo joins the Giants after four years with the New Orleans Saints, where he developed into a physical, instinctive corner capable of handling outside coverage responsibilities. In New York, he's expected to start opposite Deonte Banks, who is entering his third season and looking to bounce back after a down 2024 campaign. Banks has showed flashes of potential but struggled with consistency, and the hope inside the building is that a more reliable partner across from him will help settle things down. Advertisement The Giants moved on from Adoree' Jackson this offseason, leaving a leadership void in the cornerback room that Adebo is now expected to help fill. His experience, ball skills, and toughness give the Giants something they didn't have last year a proven NFL starter with the ability to hold up against top receivers week in and week out. This is also Year 2 under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Bowen's scheme emphasizes communication, versatility, and discipline, areas where the Giants struggled last year, especially on the back end. The addition of Adebo, along with the free-agent signing of safety Jevon Holland, signals a clear commitment to tightening up the secondary. Holland, one of the most consistent safeties in the league during his time in Miami, brings leadership and playmaking range to a safety group that also includes second-year players Tyler Nubin and Andru Phillips, as well as returning veterans Cor'Dale Flott and Dane Belton. Between that young nucleus and the new look at cornerback, the Giants are hoping to put last season's secondary issues behind them. While most of the offseason buzz in New York centered on the quarterback room with the arrivals of Russell Wilson and rookie Jaxson Dart, CBS pointed to Adebo as the most likely newcomer to make an immediate difference on the field. Advertisement It's a fair assessment. Adebo isn't a headline-grabber, but he's steady, experienced, and gives the Giants a ball-hawking cornerback who can handle No. 1 wide receivers. There's still pressure on Banks to improve, and the rest of the secondary remains young, but with Adebo and Holland now in the mix, the Giants should be much-improved in the secondary. If this defense is going to take a step forward, Adebo is going to be a big part of the reason why. More from
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ducks Fly Together: Kayvon Praises Giants' Chemistry
Ducks Fly Together: Kayvon Praises Giants' Chemistry originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Giants failed to live up to its presumed pass-rush synergy in 2024, dealing with injuries and struggles on the back end to create an underwhelming unit. Blame defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, the offense putting them behind the eight ball, or a talent level that didn't quite meet the hype, but New York was worse than the sum of its parts a season ago. Advertisement General manager Joe Schoen ensured that wouldn't be the case in 2025. In free agency, he immediately injected athleticism and ball skills into a unit that desperately needed it, signing corner Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland. In the NFL Draft, New York found the class' best edge rusher, Abdul Carter, and promising defensive tackle Darius Alexander. This defense is filled to the brim with talent, but less tangible factors could make a similar impact. Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux rekindles his Oregon connection with Holland and spoke about the team's chemistry at minicamp. 'Man, I love him having safety Jevón,' Thibodeaux said. 'I played with Jevón back in college and he's always been a field general. Paulson's great. He's been doing his thing. He's a leader. But I think just having that, those extra pieces definitely does add to the nucleus of the defense.' Advertisement Holland hasn't racked up accolades just yet, but he's widely viewed as a Pro Bowl-level talent. He had a lackluster season in terms of ball production in 2024, but there's reason to believe he can find the football, especially in a defense that's going to get after the quarterback. Across his first four seasons, Holland has generated five interceptions, five forced fumbles, and 25 passes defended. 'Yeah, he got a nose for the ball ever since college, he's been getting that ball out whether it's interceptions or punch outs and things like that,' Thibodeaux said. 'But he's definitely, he makes his teammates better and he knows everything that's going on, so I think that's definitely going to help some of the younger guys step up and then also help the defense as a whole.' Holland signed a three-year, $45.3 million deal, rather similar to Adebo's three-year, $54 million contract. The two, with similar skill sets and Pac-12 pedigree, will hope to change the fortunes of New York's defense. 'I think it's kind of interesting how Joe went and got a Stanford guy for (linebacker) Bobby (Okereke), an Oregon guy for me, and we got a couple Oregon guys on the team, but bringing in guys that know each other that can play well together, that can do what needs to get done.' Advertisement Related: Edge Rusher Rankings Set High Bar for Giants Related: Giants Ready To Get Creative With Abdul Carter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giants seemingly have a position battle forming for CB2 job
East Rutherford, NJ -- June 5, 2025 -- Cornerback, Deonte Banks as the New York Giants players participate in their 2025 OTAÕs at the Quest Diagnostic Giants Training Center in East Rutherford. Credit: Chris Pedota, / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images East Rutherford, NJ -- June 5, 2025 -- Cornerback, Deonte Banks as the New York Giants players participate in their 2025 OTAÕs at the Quest Diagnostic Giants Training Center in East Rutherford. Credit: Chris Pedota, / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The New York Giants made massive upgrades to their secondary this offseason, signing cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland in free agency. With Adebo stepping in as the Giants' new CB1, third-year cornerback Deonte Banks is set to step back into a lessened role as CB2. Advertisement However, during OTAs this spring, that CB2 job seemed anything but secure for Banks. Giants had Deonte Banks & Cor'Dale Flott splitting reps as CB2 in OTAs According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Banks and fourth-year cornerback Cor'Dale Flott split second-team reps throughout OTAs. 'Deonte Banks and [Cor'Dale] Flott split reps as the starting outside cornerback opposite Paulson Adebo,' Duggan reported. 'That's an interesting development coming off of Banks' disappointing second season. And it's not as if Banks' reps were being limited, because he worked with the second-team defense during some periods.' Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Banks struggled in the second season of his career after showing flashes of potential as a rookie in 2023. Advertisement Initially, it was believed he would step back into that CB2 role that suited him well as a rookie this season following the addition of Adebo. But Flott splitting time in that role during practice could indicate an open competition. Could Banks's job be up for grabs? Flott might be turning a corner as he enters the final season of his rookie contract. He played the best ball of his career last season, totaling career-highs with seven pass breakups, 53 tackles, and two tackles for loss. He surrendered only 359 yards and one touchdown in coverage. His 89.0 passer rating against was also the lowest of his career. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Inversely, Banks struggled in coverage. He surrendered 648 yards and six touchdowns and had a 124.2 passer rating against. Advertisement Banks, a former first-round pick, undoubtedly has potential, and the Giants would love to see him take over as the CB2. But coming off a down year, and with Flott coming off a strong year, an open competition for the job makes sense. Related Headlines
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paulson Adebo ready to be aggressive, 'do everything' for New York Giants
Paulson Adebo ready to be aggressive, 'do everything' for New York Giants The New York Giants signed free agent cornerback Paulson Adebo this offseason to fill several needs. First, to give them a marquee corner to pair with former first-rounder Deonte Banks, and second, to add leadership to a very young secondary, even though he's just 25 himself. Both head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen have been pleased with Adebo thus far in the offseason program as he rehabs from a broken leg that shortened his season last year with New Orleans. "Great, pro, comes to work every day, practices hard, makes plays on the football, he's long. We've seen that more than a few times out here, whether it's picking a pass off, whether it's getting a PBU, not afraid to challenge," Bowen said last week. "I think just for that room, a relatively younger room, I think he's been an asset in there as well, just the experience, the knowledge... Again, like coming in we have high expectations for him and part of that was the leadership role. Like we're expecting you to come in here and take on that role and thrive in that role and hopefully continue to help us to develop some of these younger guys." Adebo is ready to take up the challenge of leading the young group and is also looking forward to creating turnovers. Bowen has installed a "turnover chest" and is throwing down the gauntlet to his players to fill it this season. "Super cool," Adebo said to reporters this week in regards to the turnover chest. "You know, I'm happy and excited to try to get a lot of turnovers and hopefully I can put a lot of balls in there." Adebo adds an extra dimension to this defense and is fully aware of his abilities as well as his role with the Giants. "A really aggressive corner," he said when asked to describe his skillset. "Ball production, tackles, I feel like just a complete corner overall. "I like to do everything. Aggressive, zone scheme, man scheme. I feel like I can adapt to kind of everything and game situation, playmaking, matchups. So, I feel like I could do everything. " And the Giants just might all on him to do all of those things.
