Paulson Adebo buys in to leading Giants young defense
Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo prepares to run a play during OTAs at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Thursday in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Corey Sipkin
If Paulson Adebo could describe himself in one word, it’s aggressive. That’s evident in his 10 career interceptions in his first four seasons with the Saints and being a physical cornerback.
So when Adebo was asked what kind of defense the Giants can be this season, the free-agent signee offered a bold prediction.
“A really good one,” he said last week. “[The] ability to stop offenses, game plan against what they're trying to do, ability to adapt and do many different things.”
It’s the talk the Giants expected signing him to a three-year, $54 million deal this offseason. Adebo is quickly fitting in with the confidence of a veteran but the hunger of someone trying to prove himself to his new team.
A broken femur ended his season last October after seven games. Now Adebo is healthy and with organized team activities ending this past week, he’s made an early impression in on-field drills and proving himself as a ballhawk.
“He's long," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. "We've seen that more than a few times out here. Whether it's picking a pass off, whether it’s getting a PBU [pass breakup], not afraid to challenge. 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.”
Both Adebo and safety Jevon Holland were added to be leaders with a young secondary. For Adebo, part of his job is helping take some burden off Deonte Banks, the former 2023 first round pick who’s struggled so far.
It’s something Adebo doesn’t mind given his body of work and what he was told by the Giants during negotiations.
“For me, it's always about trying to put a good example out there,” he said. “Regardless if I'm coming in as a veteran or even before when I was a ‘younger’ guy. I played a lot of plays in this league and with that comes experience and being able to give people nuggets and also be coachable as well to be able to collaborate with those people that are around you.”
All eyes will be on the Giants’ defense given the $130-plus million spent to upgrade it. Adebo will draw more of that attention given his contract but he’s embraced the responsibility.
Whether it’s sharing wisdom to the younger cornerbacks or making plays, he believes he and this group can have a greater impact after a disappointing 2024 season.
“I think just everybody is really locked in and doing their job, executing the details, and then playing with a lot of energy,” Adebo said. “Like guys are really, really, really fun to play with and that helps to be able to have fun out there."
Tracy and ball security
Tyrone Tracy Jr. felt proud of his rookie season, one where he led the Giants in rushing. But he also couldn’t shake a team-high five fumbles, including three in a two-game span where two were lost.
So leading up to his second season, his focus is protecting the ball better as he’s gotten more first team reps in OTAs.
“Ball security was a huge thing for me last year,” Tracy said. “I had too many on the ground, so that was a big thing for me.”
Part of that means paying closer attention to detail with how he carries the ball. But Tracy also added some help at home to help cure some of those issues.
“I also bought a little grip strengthener off Amazon that I use every night. It just helps me,” he said. “It just makes sure that I'm being fundamentally sound when I'm holding the ball as well
Whatever works is needed. If he wants to build on what he did as a rookie, it means not coughing up the ball so he can stay on the field.
Giants, Jets to have joint practices
Coach Brian Daboll confirmed the Giants and Jets will have joint practices leading up to their preseason game on Aug. 16. It’ll be the only joint practice the Giants have during training camp.
Jets coach Aaron Glenn announced the news earlier last week and Daboll said setting it up was an easy discussion given their lengthy history. The dates haven’t been finalized but both teams will host one practice at their facility
“I have a good relationship with AG. Known him for a long time,” Daboll said. “It was good to sit down and kind of iron through some of the things that we wanted to get done, logistics of it.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
