The New York Giants will enter training camp with three locks at the safety position, with one spot still to be decided.
We can already bank on Antoine Bethea and Jabrill Peppers making the roster, and Michael Thomas will round out the top-three spots at the position as the team’s primary backup.
Beyond that, nothing is certain; although things might have become a bit more concrete for the No. 4 spot now that Kamrin Moore looks to have allegedly gotten himself into some serious trouble.
With that said, the last spot at safety is still technically a fluid situation.
Antoine Bethea
The former Arizona Cardinals safety had yet another solid year in 2018 in what has been a stellar career for the 34-year-old. He totaled 120 combined tackles (99 solo), three sacks and four Passes Defended.
Bethea now enters a situation in which he is partially filling the shoes of Landon Collins, and in turn the Giants get a safety who is better in coverage and still a force near the line of scrimmage. As we all know, Collins struggled with the former.
To add to the intrigue of the addition of Bethea, the veteran now gets to work under his former and now current defensive coordinator, James Bettcher, so he’s already familiar with what he’ll be doing under this system.
That bodes even better for a mostly young Giants secondary that will need every ounce of Bethea’s experience.
Jabrill Peppers
Now entering his third year, Peppers is coming off a great sophomore campaign in which he took a step forward in just about every way possible. He posted career-highs in total tackles (79), sacks (one) and passes defended (five).
What’s even more impressive is that Peppers significantly improved his pass coverage, run defense, and overall grade from his rookie season, as Pro Football Focus noted. Once considered a potential bust, Peppers is now on the fast track to becoming a star.
Peppers will need some more work in pass coverage if he’s going to take that next step, and he did leave a bit to be desired in his blitzing a year ago.
However, Peppers gives the Giants the kind of flexibility they’re looking for in a safety, with his ability to play in pass coverage and in the box. Not to mention, he could turn out a be an electric returner for the G-Men, which just adds to Peppers’ value.
Michael Thomas
Another safety who is a lock for the Giants’ roster, Thomas continues to improve his game year after year and brings more to the table than ever in 2019. Not only is he an experienced safety, he’s also a Pro Bowl special teams player.
Thomas played in all 16 games during his first season with Big Blue, doing a little bit of everything. He compiled 59 combined tackles (41 solo), one sack, two interceptions and six passes defended. Both the interceptions and PD’s were career-highs.
Thomas’ special teams prowess is well known, but he also gives the Giants some needed depth at safety, and the cornerback position if needed. You can’t do much better than a having a guy like Thomas, who can wear several hats throughout the course of a season.
Sean Chandler
An undrafted free agent out of Temple, Chandler’s story is remarkable. Before making the Giants’ 53-man roster last season, Chandler was homeless for much of his life, but still managed to make his dream of being in the NFL a reality.
The Giants used Chandler sparingly last season, but he did show flashes of being a solid player in limited work. Should he make the roster, his role will likely be the same as last season, which mostly saw him contributing on special teams and very little on defense.
Now that Kamrin Moore has been suspended and his future is up in the air, Chandler’s chances of making the team are looking more certain by the day. It appears as though his amazing story could continue into 2019 with the Giants.
Kamrin Moore
Moore was no lock to make the Giants’ roster to begin with, but one would assume his chances are considerably damaged after he was suspended by the team pending an investigation following an arrest on a domestic violence charge.
The latest on this story is that Moore’s attorney is saying that the woman involved fabricated the story that led to the charge being filed against him. Whatever the case may be, this situation is clearly going to take some time to get to the bottom of.
Moore was picked up off waivers by the Giants last September after the New Orleans Saints drafted him in the sixth round and eventually cut him. He only saw the field in two games in 2018.
Big Blue doesn’t have much invested in the young safety and he’ll be cut loose if even a shred of this story turns out to be true. It now looks as though the final safety spot is Chandler’s to lose.
Other players
In addition to the top safeties on the roster, it’s entirely possible the Giants used fourth-round pick Julian Love at the position. He saw time at free safety throughout the spring, so that’s something that will be worth keeping an eye on in training camp.
The Giants also have Kenny Ladler, Jake Carlock, Mark McLaurin and Tenny Adewusi on their 90-man roster, with Carlock making his presence felt at times throughout organized team activities and minicamp.
These are deep battles, but it’s entirely possible one of these names cracks the 53-man roster now that Moore seems to be in hot water and because Chandler is no sure thing, although he does seem to be leading the way.
