Cor’Dale Flott off to bumpy start in Giants’ big cornerback gamble

There is a flip side to everything that goes down on the field during training camp.

What is good for one side is bad for the other.

What is a sensational play here is a busted play there. What provides encouragement for those guys prompts concern for these guys.

So, when rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers on a scorching Thursday morning breaks free and hauls in a pass from Daniel Jones for a 50-yard touchdown connection, the fans cheer and the offense rejoices. Good for the Giants.

Seeing cornerback Cor’Dale Flott go down on one knee as Nabers celebrated nearby provided the other side of the story. Bad for the Giants.

“ ‘Leek is a dawg, so all credit to him,’’ Flott told The Post after practice. “Salute to him. He’s gonna be the best receiver in the league once he gets out there on the field, so I’m excited for him and how he goes through his rookie year.’’

Sure, that’s being a good teammate, giving credit where credit is due.

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That is fine and dandy on the first day of August, but it will not fly once September kicks in and the Giants start playing for real.

Flott, 22, at the moment is lining up with the starting defense as an outside cornerback, a spot he did not play in his first two seasons with the team.

The plan is for Flott and Deonte Banks, the 2023 first-round pick, to serve as the starting perimeter corners and for someone (rookie Dru Phillips, Tre Herndon, Darnay Holmes) to emerge as the slot nickel back .

The Giants wanted to select a cornerback in the second round of this year’s draft but were shut out and pivoted to safety Tyler Nubin .

So Flott is first in line to fill a spot that looks like a serious question mark.

New defensive coordinator Shane Bowen met Flott in the spring and alerted him that a move from the inside slot spot to the outside was something the coaching staff was considering.

“He came in, sat me down, asked how I felt about it, if I was comfortable with it,’’ Flott said. “In my opinion, it’s whatever helps the team, as a defense, as a whole. It’s a confidence thing, too. You’re out there on an island, and that they have confidence in me gives me confidence.’’

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This feels like a gamble for Bowen and the defense.

Flott as a rookie in 2022 allowed a passer rating of 102.4 on passes thrown his way, according to Pro Football Focus.

In 2023, that passer rating was 95.6.

He has 13 starts in 25 games, and the third-round pick from LSU is now front and center, a player the Giants are counting on , as there is no obvious Plan B.

Nick McCloud and Tre Hawkins are options, theoretically.

“I think the thought process initially was let’s put Flott out there,’’ Bowen said. “Let him get his work there and see what we got, see what we have with the versatility aspect of that, and that will continue to evolve as we kind of work our way through here.’’

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It has been a mixed bag for Flott this summer. “Lockdown’’ or “shutdown’’ are not descriptions anyone is using thus far in camp.

Nabers in the most recent practice got him on a double move. Nabers was split wide right, made an outside move then turned back up the sideline, leaving Flott in the dust.

Nabers ran so free that he actually was able to slow down and collect himself before Jones’ pass fell into his hands.

“I feel like it’s just a minor thing,’’ Flott said. “Third-and-long, you don’t want to give up the ball at the sticks, so when a double move comes it’s just something you got to be alert for.’’

At 6-foot-1, Flott has desirable length, but he remains lithe at 177 pounds, down from 182 pounds as a rookie.

“I think he’s done a good job,’’ Bowen said. “At that position, play in and play out. If you’re not playing with technique, it’s going to show up. And we got some good receivers over there right now that those guys are facing, and they got to assume, they got to anticipate, they have to expect every single snap that the ball’s coming their way.’’

With Bowen calling the defense, the Giants are expected to play more zone, which Flott — one career interception — is happy about, believing he will be in position to make more plays on the ball.

The immediate task is to line up and deal with Nabers, who is off to a flying start in his first NFL camp.

“He brings it to me and ’Tae Banks every day, and we bring it to him,’’ Flott said. “We all talk our s–t, we have fun and we’re making each other better. Everyday you line up on ’Leek it’s a chance to get better.’’

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