The New York Giants secondary has been decimated by injuries, opt-outs and other issues this offseason, but the team added a big reinforcement on Monday. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Big Blue has signed former Tennessee Titans cornerback Logan Ryan to a one-year, $7.5 million deal, injecting a thinning defensive backfield with arguably the top free agent still on the market.
The 29-year-old Ryan encountered a quiet market upon hitting free agency in March, likely in part because he reportedly sought a $10 million annual salary, but he recently switched agents and informed teams he'd also be available to play safety in 2020. As of earlier Monday, he'd also drawn some interest from the Giants' rival Dallas Cowboys.
While Ryan has never made a Pro Bowl and wasn't necessarily a shutdown No. 1 for Tennessee in 2019, he brings with him seven years of experience with contending teams and is fresh off the most productive statistical season of his career (113 tackles, 4.5 sacks, four interceptions). Originally a third-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2013, he spent the first four years of his NFL career under Bill Belichick, winning two Super Bowls with the Pats, before landing a three-year contract with the Titans.
The Giants spent big at corner in March by adding former Carolina Panthers standout James Bradberry, but this summer put a sizable dent in their lineup. Former first-round pick Deandre Baker is out indefinitely amid multiple charges of robbery, third-year veteran Sam Beal will miss all of 2020 after opting out due to COVID-19, and second-round safety Xavier McKinney could be sidelined as many as 10 weeks after fracturing his foot in training camp.
Ryan, then, figures to slot in immediately as either a starting corner or safety. A local product who was born and raised in New Jersey, where he starred at Rutgers before landing with the Patriots, the veteran could conceivably open the year opposite Bradberry on the outside or as the free safety alongside Jabrill Peppers.