The New York Giants were on a frenzy of sorts this offseason when it came to overhauling the roster — as to be expected with a 1st-year head coach in John Harbaugh trying to change the culture on 1 of the NFL’s worst teams.
Part of that frenzy might lead to some mistakes in the free-agent market, with Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton predicting 1 of those signings, cornerback Greg Newsome II, will end up being the Giants’ “Biggest Bust” in 2026.
“The New York Giants signed Greg Newsome II to a one-year, $8 million deal,” Moton wrote on July 10. “Big Blue should’ve used that cap space on another free-agent cornerback or a position of need. After three years of solid coverage with the Cleveland Browns, Newsome has struggled as a pass defender. Over the last two seasons, he’s allowed nine touchdowns and passer ratings above 100. It’s worth noting that Cleveland traded Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars last October. He gave up five touchdowns and allowed a 107.5 passer rating in 12 outings with the Jaguars. If he doesn’t break out of a coverage funk, the Giants will have their newly signed $8 million cornerback on the sideline for most of the season.”
Newsome was a 1st-round pick (No. 26 overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2021 NFL draft out of Northwestern. The Browns traded Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars early in the 2025 regular season.
Through his 1st 5 years, Newsome has $26.2 million in career earnings.
Newsome Put Up Freakish Combine Numbers
Newsome, 6-foot and 192 pounds, solidified his draft stock after an All-American season at Northwestern in 2020 by running a blazing, 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. He also had a 40-inch vertical leap and knocked out 18 reps in the 225-pound bench press — freakish numbers.
Newsome was a plug and play starter as a rookie but missed 5 games due to injuries. While Newsome hasn’t had a major injury in his career, he’d never played a full season due to injuries before playing all 17 regular-season games in 2025 — he missed 2 games in 2022, 3 games in 2023 and 4 games in 2024.
Giants Made Big Move for CB in 2026 NFL Draft
The Giants may have landed 1 of the big steals in the 2026 NFL Draft when they selected Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood in the 2nd round (No. 37 overall) after mock drafts had Hood projected as a 1st-round pick.
“This was a major position of need with Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II slated as starters,” ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan wrote following the draft in April. “Some around the league thought Hood could be taken in the first round. The 6-foot, 195-pound cornerback fits in a John Harbaugh/Dennard Wilson defense as a physical outside corner willing to tackle and compete for 50/50 balls.”
Hood, 6-foot and 195 pounds, cemented his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, but that only backed up what he’d shown on the field. Hood, who is the nephew of former NFL cornerback Roderick Hood, played for 3 different colleges in 3 seasons at Auburn, Colorado, and Tennessee and never gave up a touchdown in 72 pass attempts where he was the primary defender over those 3 seasons.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Giants Likely ‘Wasted’ $8 Million on Former 1st-Round Pick appeared first on HEAVY.