Jenkins expected to sign with the Giants

profootballfocus.com

The Giants’ new starting cornerback adds a boom-or-bust element to the secondary.

BEN STOCKWELL

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/03/09/pro-janoris-jenkins-is-a-high-risk-signing-for-giants/

Editor’s note: Grades and analysis for this article may be updated as further details of the deal are reported.

The deal: Per a report from Rand Getlin, cornerback Janoris Jenkins will sign with the Giants when free agency opens with Ian Rapoport adding that it will be a multi-year deal “worth more than $12 million per year.”

Grade: D

What it means for the Giants: This is a boom-or-bust move for the Giants. From a financial perspective, this is a big gamble on a cornerback who has not proven himself to be among the top tier of corners. Jenkins has consistently been a corner equally adept at creating impact plays for both his team and the opposition.

Since Jenkins entered the league in 2012, only Buster Skrine (25) and Patrick Peterson (23) have surrendered more than Jenkins’ 22 touchdowns, while only four corners (Antonio Cromartie, Brandon Carr, Cary Williams and Tramon Williams) have allowed more plays of 20-plus yards than Jenkins (39). On the positive side, Jenkins will make big plays for his own team as well; his 10 career interceptions are tied for the 12th-most since he entered the league, and his 34 passes defensed are tied for the seventh-most.

Paired with incumbent No. 1 corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jenkins gives the Giants two aggressive corners who love to make plays on the ball. Rodgers-Cromartie himself has 12 interceptions and 38 passes defensed since 2012, and if the Giants can land a pass-rusher to play opposite Jason Pierre-Paul, they are setting themselves up to have an extremely aggressive pass defense that could lead for some explosive games in 2016 — for both them and their opponents.

What it means for the Rams: When the Rams franchise-tagged Trumaine Johnson last week, it seemed clear that the Rams were moving on from trying to retain Jenkins. While Jenkins has provided Jekyll and Hyde play since he entered the league, Johnson has been a far more consistently positive presence in the Rams secondary. Johnson has 15 interceptions (five more than Jenkins) since 2012 and 20 pass defenses on 1,300 fewer snaps.

The Rams need a second corner opposite Johnson now that Jenkins is headed for the Big Apple, but they can get comparable if not more consistent play at a far lower price than the Giants have paid Jenkins.

Rams prepared to handle loss of Janoris Jenkins

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/27483/rams-prepared-to-handle-loss-of-janoris-jenkins

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Make no mistake, the Los Angeles Rams badly wanted to keep cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

They tried for more than a year to strike a long-term deal with their soon-to-be former No. 1 cornerback, but it was all for naught. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Jenkins is headed to the New York Giants on a deal that will pay him more than $12 million per season. The move can’t be made official until 4 p.m. ET, when the new league year begins.

Assuming there are no hiccups before that, Jenkins is on his way to play for former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants’ defensive coordinator. Really, Jenkins’ departure should not surprise. He was always going to go to the highest bidder, and once the Rams put the franchise tag on fellow cornerback Trumaine Johnson, the team’s willingness to pay such a heavy freight for Jenkins dwindled.

Back in October, Jenkins said he was looking for a team that would give him a deal that would show the “respect” he believed he deserved. League sources told me he would seek a contract that would start at the $10.5 million annual average that the Philadelphia Eagles gave Byron Maxwell last year. The Rams were more comfortable with something in the area of $8 million per year.

In heading to New York, Jenkins takes his knack for big plays — his six return touchdowns are the most of any defensive player in the NFL in the past four years — with him. He also takes his penchant for allowing big plays — Pro Football Focus has him down for 22 touchdowns allowed in that same time span, third most in the NFL.

Jenkins had his best NFL season in 2015, cutting down on some of the mistakes that previously plagued him, and the Rams understandably wanted to bring him back because of it. But if there was one player among their key defensive free agents whom they were equipped to handle losing, it was Jenkins — not necessarily Jenkins personally, but more so one of their top corners.

Once they tagged Johnson instead, it made Jenkins the most likely candidate to depart. That’s not to say the Rams will be able to keep others like ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims and linebacker/safety Mark Barron, but they are right to put the priority on trying to keep those players rather than paying big money for a second corner.

That’s because the Rams have some depth in place that makes losing Jenkins more tolerable. Johnson will return as the No. 1 corner, a job he hasn’t done much in his four NFL seasons but showed he could handle in a late-season win against the Detroit Lions and receiver Calvin Johnson. Opposite Trumaine Johnson, the Rams are expecting to get E.J. Gaines back in the fold after a season-ending foot injury. Remember, Gaines was actually the favorite to win the starting job instead of Johnson before last season. Assuming he returns to health, which is the expectation, Gaines is capable of stepping in and playing well.

Lamarcus Joyner took a big step forward as the nickel corner and Marcus Roberson is a still-developing talent who can handle the fourth cornerback job. And, of course, the Rams could still turn to the draft to add another topflight corner, especially with three picks in the top 45.

In the meantime, they now have more money they were ready to spend on Jenkins that they can allocate elsewhere. That means continued efforts to keep the likes of Barron, Hayes and Sims and potentially even find some upgrades for an offense in desperate need of some.

No, the Rams didn’t want to lose Jenkins just like most teams don’t want to lose players they’ve drafted and developed. But at least in this case, they’re prepared to replace him.

Rams: Return of E.J. Gaines will soften blow of Janoris Jenkins loss

Vincent Bonsignore

link: http://www.insidesocal.com/nfl/2016/03/09/rams-return-of-e-j-gaines-will-soften-blow-of-janoris-jenkins-loss/

There is no doubt losing starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins hurts the Rams. But if there is a silver lining to Jenkins reportedly leaving for the New York Giants, it’s that the Rams are in good shape depth wise to absorb the loss.

Thanks to an almost forgotten man in the Rams defensive secondary: Third-year corner E.J. Gaines.

The former 6th-round pick out of Missouri missed all of 2015 after suffering a Lisfranc injury in training camp. It was a huge blow both personally and from a team standpoint as Gaines was set to compete with Trumaine Johnson for the starting CB job opposite Jenkins.

Now it appears Gaines and Johnson might just line up together in 2016.

And based on Gaines’ rookie season – in which he ironically stepped in for an injured Johnson and started 15 games – the job could be in strong hands.

Gaines surrendered just one touchdown in 2014 while giving up just 9.6 yards per catch allowed and none over 23 yards. His 14 passes defended was first on the team and he also added two interceptions. His run defense was also strong, as Pro Football Focus assessed Gaines as a Top-5 CB in Runs Stop Percentage. Gaines finished the season with 70 tackles.

Assuming Gaines is healthy, he should more than make up for the loss of Jenkins in the starting line up. And at a fraction of the cost.