The Giants had everything in place.
New head coach Joe Judge has been building his relationship with Daniel Jones, and GM Dave Gettleman filled some holes via free agency and did a nice job with the draft.
Now the bomb hits with cornerback DeAndre Baker.
(Note to Giants – Get rid of Baker expediently)
Judge and Gettleman don’t want a huge smudge on their clean slate together. If they cut Baker, it would count roughly $7.6 million in dead cap space.
He reportedly had already fallen into some disfavor with Judge.
Baker has been charged with four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and a warrant has been issued for his arrest from the Miramar, Florida, from an incident that occurred at a gambling game May 13. Seattle corner Quinton Dunbar has been charged with four counts of armed robbery.
The Giants’ former lower first-round draft pick from a year ago had trouble adapting to the game despite starting in 15 of 16 games. Baker, despite early-season struggles, was a key part in a restructured defensive secondary.
There were the raised eyebrows and whispers when Gettleman traded up three draft picks with Seattle to grab Baker with the 30th pick.
There were rumors of some background issues in his youth as well as football and overall IQ problems.
Any day now, the Giants may release Baker to avoid the growing concern he fall victim to the NFL Conduct Policy down the road.
On the surface, it appears to be a bleak outlook for Baker, yet he could cop a plea deal that still could impact the upcoming season.
If the Giants cut Baker, there are other options
Corey Ballentine was a rookie last year who also took his share of mental bumps and bruises. Sam Beal was a 2018 supplemental pick the Giants viewed with high potential, but he needs to stay healthy.
Both will need to mature and seventh-round pick rookie Chris Williamson also could be in the picture.
Free agent corner Logan Ryan suddenly becomes a wanted man in New York.
The Jets and Dolphins reportedly have been in hot pursuit of him to fill a void at one of their corner spots. The Giants could also quickly could jump into the fray.
In spite of his reported $10 million-a-year asking price, Ryan would bring instant stability to the Giants’ cornerback positon. He’d be paired with free agent James Bradberry.
When it comes to options on the market, there’s still a few the Giants can entertain. But the the belief is Ryan is at the top of every team’s list.
Baker’s apparent flawed character traits also can have a residual effect on Gettleman. He did boast about Baker being an eventual lock-down corner, and he, Jones, and Dexter Lawrence being future impact players.
Hopefully, for Gettleman, the Baker incident will be in the rear-view mirror when August rolls round.
Gettleman did rid the team of Odell Beckham Jr., Janoris Jenkins, Eli Apple, and Damon Harrison as a housecleaning of malcontents was needed. Ironically, Apple is a free-agent cornerback they could use.
Gettleman didn’t receive a ringing endorsement from owner John Mara. It was suggested he needed to improve his “batting average” after head coach Pat Shurmur was fired.
Through their opening moments, the Judge-Gettleman union has experienced plenty of good vibes.
They need to make the right move before a string of dominoes works against them.
