Veteran corner Adoree Jackson was back in the Giants’ building on a free agent visit Friday morning, the Daily News confirmed.
There is a chance the former Giants captain could re-sign to bolster a needy secondary entering a pivotal third season for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll.
Schoen was curt on Wednesday when asked about his second starting corner spot.
“I feel good with it,” the GM said, declining to elaborate at first. But he later acknowledged corner was “a position we’ll continue to look at” and that the Giants would “upgrade” there if they saw the opportunity.
Jackson’s return is a surprise because the Giants did not have rave reviews internally of the corner’s play in 2023. This is a last resort, though, to address a major need.
The Giants’ trade of their No. 39 overall pick for edge Brian Burns prevented them from landing one of their two preferred corners in the NFL Draft’s second round: Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry (Saints) and Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter (Texans).
Their outside corner depth chart for now includes four Schoen selections or acquisitions: 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks, 2022 third-round pick Cor’Dale Flott, veteran Nick McCloud and 2023 sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins.
The secondary has looked like a problem all summer, however, highlighted by several deep completions by Aaron Rodgers in a recent joint practice against the Jets. So Schoen signed veteran Duke Shelley to the practice squad on Thursday, and now Jackson, 28, could be back to provide an upgrade — albeit likely on a cheap contract.
It’s not clear what shape he will be for the early season, since Jackson hasn’t been with a team all summer. But the former Giant captain did contain Minnesota star receiver Justin Jefferson (seven catches for 47 yards) in the Giants’ 2022 Wild Card win. They know what he can do at the top of his game.
Jackson and Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen overlapped for three seasons in Tennessee (2018-20) when Bowen was the Titans’ outside linebackers coach. So they know each other already. And Jackson has the ability to return punts, too.
So if Gunner Olszewski (ankle) isn’t ready for Week 1, he could be an option on special teams, as well.
