Giants WR Matt Cole plays well after being pressed into service at cornerback vs. Browns
Cleveland Browns tight end Connor Davis (86) is tackled by Giants' Matt Cole (83) during the second half of an NFL preseason football game, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Cleveland. Credit: AP/David Dermer
CLEVELAND — When Giants coaches approached wide receiver Matt Cole on Saturday night and asked if he could play cornerback for them, he tried to remind them that he already does. On punt returns.
"He was like, ‘No, I’m talking about defense,’ " Cole said. "I was like, ‘It’s too early to be playing games. You can’t be for real.’ "
Fast-forward about 20 hours and it was very much for real. Cole lined up on the outside of the Giants’ defense for much of the second half of Sunday’s 17-13 loss to the Browns. With injuries at the position, including in-game ones to Madre Harper (groin) and Quincy Wilson (ankle), Cole was pressed into service at a position he had not manned since high school.
"We said, ‘Let’s just see what he’s got,’ " Joe Judge said of the decision to recruit Cole to the other side of the ball. "One thing that impressed us was that he didn’t blink. He went out there, had the ball thrown at him a couple times, made a nice tackle. He got a crash course on our defense in meetings and I thought he went out there and competed."
Cole did more than that. Although his No. 83 jersey was a glaring indication that he was playing out of position on defense, the Browns threw his way only once for an incompletion on a high pass.
When it was suggested that his side of the field should be named Cole Island, he upped that realm.
"Cole World," he said. "I don’t want to toot my own horn, but they didn’t catch a single pass."
Cole’s performance caught the eyes of the players, too. "It was crazy," running back Devontae Booker said. "At first we were looking and we were like, ‘Who’s 83?’ That’s a big plus for him that he can play receiver and corner."
"That’s really amazing," safety Julian Love said. "I was impressed. That is well-respected what he did for us today."
Such versatility certainly will help Cole’s chances of sticking with the Giants, either on the 53-man roster or the practice squad. That’s what Sunday was about for a lot of young players trying to make the team.
Cole said the message he got before the game from Judge was: "Just show up today. Offense and special teams, any time your number is called, make the best of it."
And defense?
"Yeah," he said with a smile. "And defense."
Notes & quotes: Brian Lewerke, who was signed by the Giants on Monday, played the second half and nearly engineered a comeback for them. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 108 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to David Sills in the fourth quarter. His final pass as time expired was tipped by Sills in the end zone but intercepted by Richard LeCounte . . . After throwing punches at each other after practice on Friday, Giants WR Sterling Shepard and Browns CB Troy Hill met peacefully at midfield after the game . . . TE Kyle Rudolph, who is on PUP after offseason foot surgery and has not participated in any activities during practices, caught some passes from Daniel Jones in pregame. Judge said Rudolph will be ramped up this week and do some football activity with trainers . . . The Giants left Cleveland monitoring Tropical Storm Henri’s impact on Rhode Island. They are scheduled to travel to Providence on Tuesday for their joint practices with the Patriots, but depending on the damage to the area, they might adjust those plans.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
