No starting cornerback coming on waiver wire to rescue Giants

It turns out that the second starting cornerback for the Giants in Week 1 probably has been on the roster this whole time.

Anyone expecting a golden parachute to appear on the waiver wire and solve the unsettled position battle between Cor’Dale Flott and Nick McCloud was left surprised Thursday when the Giants did not put in a claim on a cornerback.

No repeat of 2022 — when the Giants solved a similar pinch by signing veteran free agent Fabian Moreau to the practice squad after camp and eventually elevating him to start opposite Adoree’ Jackson — either.

At least not yet.

“I feel good with it,” general manager Joe Schoen said of the cornerback depth chart.

“That’s an important position when we are making these trade calls or depth calls with other organizations. If you called every team, 32 out of 32 would probably say, ‘Looking for depth at corner.’ It’s a difficult position to find. We’re always going to look to upgrade across the entire roster but … there’s not a lot of teams that have three good corners on their roster if you really look at it.”

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So, with only one practice remaining before game week arrives, who won the training-camp battle between Flott and McCloud?

Neither put an obvious stranglehold on the job.

Head coach Brian Daboll said he has “a good idea of the direction it’s going,” but he declined to share details.

Schoen might have dropped a hint by describing McCloud as a “role player” after saying that Flott and McCloud will “compete it out” until the coaches make a final decision.

The Giants had eyes on drafting either Kool-Aid McKinstry or Kamari Lassiter to pair with Deonte Banks, but both second-round picks were selected before Schoen’s spot at No. 47.

Flott said he “for sure” showed enough to win the job before he missed nearly three weeks with a quad injury.

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He didn’t play in any of the three preseason games and returned during Tuesday’s light practice.

“I definitely have been able to pick right back up where I left off and it’s just getting back into the chemistry of the defense,” Flott said. “I understand my job. I can execute. I’m very confident. [Stuff] happens in football. We all in this business don’t want to get hurt, but when stuff pops up you have to deal with it and go from there.”

Of the more than 1,184 players who were cut over the last five days, only 26 were claimed on waivers.

Five of the 26 were cornerbacks, including three to the Panthers, who were No. 1 on the waiver list while the Giants were No. 6 based on last season’s records.

Waivers functions differently than the NFL draft in that the order does not snake and the five teams ahead of the Giants have priority in any overlapping claims.

But the Giants were granted their only claim — former Packers safety Anthony Johnson Jr. — according to Schoen.

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The Vikings will test the Giants with All-Pro Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, who is coming off a 10-touchdown rookie season.

“They have an elite receiving corps,” Flott said. “Justin Jefferson, who I played with at LSU, checks all the boxes. But they don’t just have him over there. They have some other elite receivers that we have to be alert for.”

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Cor’Dale Flott and Nick McCloud

If McCloud, who struggled against Garrett Wilson in last week’s joint practices with the Jets, does not start, he offers sub versatility at safety, in the slot and as a smallish linebacker.

“I feel like I’ve earned whatever I get,” McCloud said. “Bringing value to the defense was my biggest thing coming into camp — not knowing where I would be [playing]. My teammates and coaches trust me and want me to be out there. I felt like I competed every day, and my teammates trust me to do my job at a high level — wherever it is in the best 11 [on the field].”

The Giants other cornerbacks are rookie third-round draft pick Dru Phillips — who practiced exclusively in the slot — and Tre Hawkins, who was benched as a rookie last season.

Converted linebacker Isaiah Simmons is a hybrid cornerback-safety.

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