Loaded Saints add former Giants CB Janoris Jenkins for stretch run
The New York Giants felt they had to cut cornerback Janoris Jenkins last week. The fallout was that a very good team was going to add a top cornerback late in the season.
The New Orleans Saints, still in play for the No. 1 seed, got Jenkins. He can’t be added until Week 16 because the Saints play on Monday night.
The #Saints claimed CB Janoris Jenkins off waivers, sources tell @RapSheet and me. It's deferred until tomorrow because they play tonight.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 16, 2019
Jenkins has made one Pro Bowl. He was cut by the Giants for tweeting an inappropriate insult at a fan while the Giants were practicing, and then was unapologetic when asked by the media about it.
Janoris Jenkins to Saints
The Saints are coming off a poor game on defense against the San Francisco 49ers, but the defense has been pretty good all season. They didn’t necessarily need Jenkins. But it doesn’t hurt.
Jenkins can be paired with Marshon Lattimore to form one of the better cornerback duos in the NFL. The Saints had been using another former Giant, Eli Apple, in that spot, but Apple hasn’t had a great year. He ranks 47th in Pro Football Focus’ grades among all cornerbacks with at least 450 snaps this season. Jenkins is 42nd, but has played very well in the past and had complained about his role in New York. Perhaps that was a factor.
No matter what, it’s a free pickup for the Saints and it’s hard to say they didn’t just get better.
Saints wanted a boost on defense
The Saints have to know Jenkins’ baggage. He had off-field issues in college, and this season he has griped about coaching. Last week, when he insulted a fan on Twitter as his teammates practiced — Jenkins was out with an injury — and then doubled down on it was too much for a Giants team that isn’t going to the playoffs anyway.
The Saints have Super Bowl dreams. They also have key injuries on defense, notably defensive linemen Sheldon Rankins and Marcus Davenport. Jenkins can’t replace them, but he can help the defense and the Saints didn’t have to give up anything for him.
The Saints haven’t been able to get over the hump and make the Super Bowl the last couple seasons. Perhaps Jenkins will be the missing piece.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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