The Giants shopped for cornerbacks at the dime store this offseason because of a belief that Cor’Dale Flott is more than a nickel.
With a big need for a starting outside cornerback, the Giants did not re-sign three-year starter Adoree Jackson or pivot to another high-priced veteran free agent.
They did not draft a new starter in the second round.
They did not turn to versatile defensive back Nick McCloud — whose $2.9 million salary is double Flott’s — as their first in-house solution.
A decision was made that the 6-foot-2, 177-pound Flott had been miscast last season as a nickelback who played 83 percent of his defensive snaps in the slot.
When the Giants practiced Thursday, the 2022 third-round pick lined up as the No. 2 cornerback opposite of Deonte Banks.
“The young man is a worker, a conscientious kid, he wants to do right, he wants to play well, he’s naturally tough,” defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. “If he was 200 pounds, he would be hell on wheels.”
Flott, who is looking to gain a few more pounds, is one of the players most affected by the defensive coordinator change from Wink Martindale to Shane Bowen.
Despite his ideal lanky frame, Flott lacked the lower-body strength to stay healthy while playing Martindale’s style of every-down perimeter press coverage.
He was moved into the slot — a decision not everyone in the organization agreed with — and struggled in training camp.
Bowen’s scheme requires a physical tackler in the slot — enter rookie third-round pick Dru Phillips — but the off-ball zone coverage principles could be a better fit for Flott to read and react on the perimeter.
“Excited for this opportunity,” Flott said. “It gives me confidence that the coaches have confidence in me, that the team has confidence in me. I just need to continue to be the best version of myself. … Being able to have a back to the sideline, being able to look at the quarterback, get more plays and opportunities on the ball.”
Flott, 22, is entering his third season but still is younger than four of the Giants’ six 2024 draft picks.
Paired with Banks, 23, the Giants have the youngest duo of starting cornerbacks in the NFL.
“We don’t really even think about that, if I’m being honest,” Flott said. “We just think about being the best duo that there will be.”
The Giants’ only insurance if Flott falters is newcomer David Long Jr. (12 career starts) — signed for the veteran minimum — and Tre Hawkins (3), followed by slot-first corners McCloud (11) and Darnay Holmes (11).
To lessen his injury susceptibility after nine career missed games, Flott added “more massages, more acupuncture and compression boots” to his routine.
“He’s been tremendous this offseason — studying, working,” Henderson said. “I expect Flott to have a really productive, good year for us. You hope he takes a really big jump, and he’s doing everything to take that jump.”
Even before head coach Brian Daboll spoke a vote of confidence for Flott earlier this month, the Giants showed it.
General manager Joe Schoen traded the higher of two second-round picks (No. 39) to the Panthers in the package to acquire edge rusher Brian Burns, and then watched as four consecutive cornerbacks were selected No. 40-43.
The Giants, who conducted pre-draft meetings with Bo Melton (Cardinals) and Kool-Aid McKinstry (Saints) at their facility, didn’t trade up and drafted safety Tyler Nubin at No. 47.
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“I took advantage of every opportunity I had from Year One all the way to Year Three now. The same urgency still applies,” Flott said. “Most importantly, everybody is on their own timeline and you can’t compare yourself to what other guys are doing.
“The best thing you can do is take notes from the veterans and figure out what works for you. Just picking guys’ minds, that’s what I started working on and getting better at.”
Flott drew the difficult assignment Thursday of matching up with his former LSU teammate Malik Nabers.
The much-hyped first-round pick beat Flott with a double-move down the seam for a touchdown and tested him with explosiveness in and out of breaks.
“He’s definitely quick, and a lot of DBs will have to deal with it,” Flott said. “I have to deal with it myself. It’s good I get to go against him.”
The Giants’ quiet offseason at cornerback was a bet that Flott will hold his own in many other tough matchups ahead.