The first wave of NFL free agency has come and gone. Months of speculation and rumors are officially in the rearview mirror fans. The Giants were one of the most active teams in free agency this week. Per Over the Cap, they spent the 11th most money in the NFL- close to $192 million in new contracts. This shouldn’t be a surprise to fans. General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll are both on the hot seat in 2025 and need to win quickly to keep their jobs. After the first wave of signings, could the Giants’ defense in 2025 be a strength?
With key additions in the secondary- namely safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo- the Giants are assembling a sneaky-good defense on paper. Now, this isn’t a proclamation that the Giants are going to have an elite defense in 2025. This is an observation that the unit is noticeably more talented already and can be a strength next season. Of course, cards need to fall into place on the field, but credit Joe Schoen for identifying an area of weakness and attempting to improve it.
Could the New York Giants Defense Suprise in 2025?
Key Offseason Additions
A. Paulson Adebo (CB)
The Giants signed Paulson Adebo to a 3-year, $54 million contract with $38.5 million guaranteed. They had a glaring need at cornerback-one due to former first-round pick Deonte Bank’s lack of development in 2024. They still haven’t given up on the former first-rounder, but it’s clear that they needed a capable veteran to follow the opposing team’s top receivers.
Adebo provides the Giants with that ability. He has elite ball-skills that allow him to contest at the catch point underneath and down the field. In turn, he plays the position with physicality. It can certainly get him in trouble, but his tenacity and aggressiveness will provide a spark for a Giants secondary that rarely got their hands on the football in 2024.
Adebo has 28 passes defended in 22 games over the last two seasons to go along with seven interceptions. Durability will be key with Adebo as he’s coming off a broken leg. However, there’s no denying his production when healthy. All things considered, this is a great signing for the Giants.
B. Jevon Holland (S)
To the surprise of many, the Giants signed safety Jevon Holland to a 3-year, $35.3 million contract with $30 million guaranteed. Similar to Adebo, there are certainly injury concerns with Holland. However, he provides the secondary with versatility, ball-hawk skills, and experience in a wide range of schemes. His presence will raise the floor for the entire secondary and help develop promising young starter Tyler Nubin. The two of them have the potential to be an elite safety duo as early as next season.
Holland is swiss-army-knife style safety that can play every level of the field well. Over his career, he has five interceptions, 25 passes defended, five forced fumbles, and four sacks. In short, Holland is the type of player who has a knack for the ball and forcing turnovers. He will easily fill the void left by Xavier McKinney.
Returning Talent & Defensive Core
Adebo and Holland are going to join an already fairly talented defensive core. Their role is to fill out a young secondary and complement the Giants’ pass-rush trio of Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Even though a slew of injuries, this is a unit that had the fourth most sacks in the NFL in 2024. They even led the league at one point during midseason until Dexter Lawrence suffered a season-ending injury. With the additions of Adebo and Holland, the Giants’ pass rush could have the luxury of more time to get to the quarterback instead of relying on quick wins off the snap.
In addition to the front four, the Giants also have some promising young pieces in the secondary. Dru Phillips is coming off a solid rookie season as the nickel corner and should be a staple for the team during his rookie contract. Safety Tyler Nubin, part of the same draft class, will be an ideal Robin to Holland’s Batman in the back end.
The secondary was the clear problem for the Giants defense in 2024. The pass rush propelled them to their few wins and remained in a few games over the stretch. However, the secondary bottomed out during much of the season. The team put hope into Deonte Banks developing into a shutdown corner, which unfortunately never happened. Now, with Adebo and Holland, the Giants’ defense in 2025 is more complete and can even be a strength.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
