Is Giants CB Darnay Holmes on the Roster Bubble?
Darnay Holmes, Cornerback
Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 195 pounds
2022 Regular Season Stats: GP: 15 / GS: 2. 38 Tackles, 2 TFL, 8 PBUs, 1 QBH, No Interceptions
Say whatever you want about New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes, but the one thing you can't deny is the young man is a scrappy individual.
Selected by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of UCLA, Holmes seemed to face an uphill battle right from the start. During his college career with the Bruins, Holmes was primarily a perimeter cornerback, logging 1,852 of his 2,097 defensive snaps outside.
Yet when he came to the Giants, his size screamed "slot," so Holmes, who had played just 76 college snaps in the slot, had to adjust.
He didn't do that badly in his adjustment. In his first two NFL seasons, Holmes didn't allow a touchdown in 82 coverage targets and recorded two interceptions, playing mostly (key word here) solid ball.
Last year, however, was a different story, as Holmes was way more inconsistent than not. In 76 targets, he allowed 53 receptions for a career-best 69.7% completion rate. But he also gave up 587 yards (a career-high) his first touchdown, and didn't record an interception.
That wasn't the worst of things, though. Holmes finished as the Giants' runaway leader in penalties with nine, seven of which resulted in first downs for the opponent. And yet the Giants--who also tried Fabian Moreau, Nick McCloud, Adoree' Jackson Zyon Gilbert, Cor'Dale Flott, Rodarius Williams, and Aaron Robinson in the slot--stuck with him because, despite all else, he was their best option.
Will that be the case, though, in 2023? Let's think it through.
Best Case Scenario
Holmes, as already noted, is a scrappy player who, despite his physical size, plays like a much bigger man. As such, one of his strengths is his tackling, and he was particularly effective in blowing up receiver screens late in the year.
While not an ideal blitzer, he is a relentless proactive attacker. Above all else, until proven otherwise, he's the best the Giants currently have at the position, a guy that plays a tough and courageous brand of football. The slot cornerback role is his to lose, and given his relentlessness and determination, Holmes probably won't go down without a fight for his spot.
Worst Case Scenario
The Giants always look to improve at every position, and the slot cornerback role is no different. As already noted, they had others try the role without much success due to performance, experience, or injury.
This year, the Giants again have guys that can come down in the slot to where if they want to mix and match against the opponent, they should be able to do so, depending on what defensive coordinator Wink Martindale wants to call.
Holmes? Last year was probably the worst one of his career, and it doesn't help that he has a big ol' bull's eye on his back in the form of his $2.94 million salary cap hit, a figure that rose thanks to performance incentives tied into the snaps he played in the first three years of his rookie deal.
The key for Holmes to hang onto his roster spot is to continue showing he's the best option and, in all likelihood, agree to a salary reduction. Absent those two items--and it's not going to be easy--Holmes, now in the final year of his rookie deal, could be in danger of not finishing that contract with the Giants.
What to Expect in 2023
I don't see Holmes playing out the year--assuming he makes the roster--at his current cap figure. Whether the team approaches him, as they did with Darius Slayton last year, with a pay cut and a chance to earn back any money remains to be seen.
I think given all the other options they have for the slot--options that have more size than Holmes--if Holmes continues to have those "handsy" penalties, struggle in one-on-one coverage situations, and be beaten off the line, the Giants will finally pull the plug on this feisty young cornerback.
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