Giants Need $54 Million ‘X Factor’ to ‘Step Up’

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The New York Giants are counting on a $54 million “X factor” this season.

When the New York Giants handed a contract worth $54 million to veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo in 2025 NFL free agency, they paid him to be a shutdown playmaker, somebody who can take away an opponent’s best wide receiver without help.

Whether or not the oft-injured Adebo can live up to that status is the “X factor” for the Giants’ season. That’s according to ESPN’s Ben Solak, who believes the Giants “need Adebo, whom they paid in free agency despite a major leg injury, to step up as a CB1.”

Solak underscores that need by pointing out the issues with some of the other names on the depth chart. He noted how “2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks has flashed, but he failed to put together consistent weeks of strong coverage; and 2024 rookie slot Dru Phillips excels as a tackler and blitzer but can struggle to produce on the football.”

Those deficiencies heap the pressure on Adebo to deliver, even if defensive coordinator Shane Bowen tries to help. Solak explained how the play-caller “can hide Banks from the toughest matchups and get safety help his way; they can get Phillips up onto the line of scrimmage, pressing across the board and buying time for that pass rush to arrive.”

Ultimately though, former New Orleans Saints standout Adebo is likely to left on an island and asked to boss his one-on-one matchups. Fortunately, as Solak mentioned, “the past 1½ seasons of Adebo were CB1-caliber — seven picks and 28 passes defensed for only two touchdowns surrendered — but he must be healthy.”

Reliance on Paulson Adebo a Risk for Giants

The Giants paying Adebo to be their No. 1 cornerback was an obvious risk because of the 26-year-old’s lengthy injury history. He played just seven games last season before a broken femur ended his campaign, while Adebo also missed time with hamstring problems in 2023.

Yet, despite the injuries, the Giants handing Adebo $18 million a year, with $38.5 million in guaranteed cash, per Spotrac.com, was still considered an underrated move. That speaks to his level of skill when healthy.

Adebo at 100 percent can handle single coverage assignments. He’s rated as “excellent” in “press-man coverage” by NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger.

That’s good news for Bowen, who often leans into zone concepts. He can now play box and 1 coverages, leaving Adebo isolated and playing zone across the rest of the secondary.

It will mean Adebo facing a lot of targets, but Bowen will be able to protect the potential liabilities in Big Blue’s defensive backfield.

Giants Still Vulnerable Across Secondary

The presence of Banks makes the Giants vulnerable because he’s struggled to develop and hasn’t always shown maximum effort. It’s why the player who should be a first-round talent found himself embroiled in a training camp battle with Cor’Dale Flott his offseason.

No matter if it’s Banks or Flott starting, neither has the same flair for getting to the ball as Adebo. As Solak pointed out, Phillips has the same problem.

The lack of ball skills on the back end is a worry when the Giants can expect to feast up front thanks to a loaded pass rush led by 2025 NFL draft No. 3 pick Abdul Carter. What Carter and Co. need is for the secondary to take advantage of the mistakes heavy pressure will inevitably cause.

It won’t happen often enough unless Adebo justifies his price tag.

James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko