New York Giants DB Bobby McCain: The Good, the Great, and the Ugly

Coach Gene Clemons breaks down the strengths and weaknesses in new Giants defensive back Bobby McCain's game.

Author:
Gene Clemons
Publish date:
Mar 24, 2023 10:33 AM EDT

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New York Giants

After losing starting safety Julian Love to the Seahawks in free agency, the New York Giants signed former Washington Commanders safety Bobby McCain to a one-year deal. The diminutive safety spent the last two seasons manning the back end of the field, and now he comes to New York to join a diverse safety unit.

Let's dive into his film to see what the Giants are getting.

The Good: Coverage Ability

McCain can cover man-to-man. He is a quick and agile player that can stay with receivers throughout their routes. McCain's ability to cover man-to-man is one of the reasons why it was a surprise that Washington did not use him more in that capacity. He can slow down opposing receivers and make plays on the ball.

Although he gives up size, he plays through the hands well. McCain is also a secondary leader and helps communicate with other players. In 2021, his first season with Washington, McCain had four interceptions and nine pass breakups.

He played all over the field as a converted cornerback when he was with Miami. His ability to stick with receivers is not rooted in speed but rather in quickness. He ran a 3.82 20-yard shuttle and a 6.8 3-cone drill at the NFL Combine back in 2015.

He'll probably be deployed with the Giants much more like he was in Miami.

The Great: Assignment Sound

Many of his interceptions in 2021 were of the "Johnny-on-the-spot" variety, where he found himself in the right place at the right time and took advantage. That is what's great about McCain's game: he seems to always be right where he needs to be to make a play.

It is probably one of the reasons why Washington used him as the deep middle safety for most of his two seasons with the Commanders. McCain's been able to be right there at the catch point to either intercept the ball, knock the ball away, or tackle the receiver.

Being in the right place means receivers don't pick up extra yards after the catch on McCain. Instead, they are usually brought down, and the defense gets to live to fight another day.

There's a level of talent associated with being in the right place at the right time. Many people define luck as where preparation and opportunity meet McCain must live on that corner.

The Giants are getting a player that will do what they ask of him. That was proven by how he could pivot from what he was being asked to do in Miami versus what he was asked to do in Washington.

The Ugly: Physicality

At 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, McCain is not the biggest defensive back in the NFL. For a guy of his stature, tackles are business decisions. This is not saying that McCain is in any way afraid because he is not.

It does mean that he knows all of those collisions come at a cost. There have been many times over the past two seasons where you can tell that McCain is a little slow to the collision. When he is forced to make a hit, he will dive at his legs to get runners down as well.

This is the only flaw I see when it comes to playing in this Giants defense. For defensive backs to thrive in a Wink Martindale defense, they tend to be physical. They seek the collisions out and make sure that ball carriers know they have been hit. With McCain, he is simply trying to get a guy to the ground when he has to.

Final Thoughts

Overall, McCain is a good pickup for the Giants. It will be interesting to see how he is used in this 2023 iteration of the Giants defense. He gives the group more depth and diversity to continue giving opponents different looks.