There is a flip side to everything that happens on the field during training camp.
What is good for one is bad for the other.
A sensational play here is a botched play there. What inspires some is cause for concern for others.
So when rookie wide receiver Malik Neighbors broke free on a scorching Thursday morning and caught a pass from Daniel Jones for a 50-yard touchdown, the fans cheered and the offensive line celebrated. Good for the Giants.
Watching cornerback Cordell Flott drop to one knee as Neighbors celebrated nearby provided another side of the story, unfortunately for the Giants.
“Leake is a great player, so a lot of credit to him,” Flott told The Post after practice. “Hats off to him. He’s going to be the best receiver in the league when he steps on the field, so I’m excited to see how he does in his rookie year.”
Sure, that’s about being a good teammate and giving due credit.
That’s great on August 1, but it won’t be the same once September rolls around and the Giants start playing in earnest.
Flott, 22, is currently lined up as the starting defenseman at outside cornerback, but did not play there in his first two seasons with the team.
The plan is for Flott and 2023 first-round draft pick Deonte Banks to serve as the starting perimeter corners while someone else (rookie Jrue Phillips, Tre Herndon or Darnay Holmes) emerges as the slot nickelback.
The Giants had hoped to select a cornerback in the second round of this year’s draft but were unable to do so, so turned to safety Tyler Nubin.
That means Flott is the prime candidate to fill a position that has serious question marks.
New defensive coordinator Shane Bowen met with Flott in the spring and let him know the coaching staff was considering moving him from the inside slot position to the outside.
“He came in, sat me down and asked me what I thought and if it was OK,” Flott said. “In my opinion, anything that helps the team defensively and as a whole is good. It’s also a confidence thing. I’m in isolation, but the fact that they have confidence in me gives me confidence.”
This feels like a gamble for Bowen and the defense.
As a 2022 rookie, Flott had a passer rating of 102.4 on passes thrown to him, according to Pro Football Focus.
In 2023, his passer rating was 95.6.
He has started 13 of 25 games and the third-round pick out of LSU is now at the front of the line and the player the Giants are relying on in the absence of an obvious Plan B.
Nick McLeod and Tre Hawkins are theoretically options.
“I think the original idea was to put Flott in there,” Bowen said, “let him work there and see what we have, what we have in terms of versatility, and it’s going to continue to evolve as we work our way through here.”
For Flott, this summer has been a mixed bag. So far, no one at camp has used the words “lockdown” or “shutdown.”
Neighbors beat Flott with a double move during a recent practice: Neighbors split wide to the right, moved outside and then back down the sideline, leaving Flott behind.
Neighbours ran so freely that he was actually able to slow down and settle before Jones’ pass landed in his hands.
“I think it’s a small thing,” Flott said, “When you’re making a long pass on third down, you don’t want to let the ball go at the sticks, so when that double move comes, you just have to be on your guard.”
At 6-foot-1, Flott has impressive length, but he’s also lithe, having dropped from 182 pounds as a rookie to 177 pounds.
“I thought he’s done a good job,” Bowen said. “At that position, you play inside and outside, and if you don’t play with technique, it shows. And the guys they’re playing right now have some good receivers. They have to assume the ball is coming their way, anticipate it, anticipate every snap.”
With Bowen at the helm, the Giants are expected to use a lot of zone defense, and Flott, who has just one interception in his career, is happy and confident he’s in a position to control the ball more.
The immediate challenge will be dealing with Neighbors, who is off to a strong start in his first NFL camp.
“He brings it to me and Tay Banks every day and we bring it to him,” Flott said. “We all talk trash, have fun and lift each other up. Every day lining up for Leake is a chance to get better.”
