Veteran Presence

Safety Logan Ryan has taken over as the leader of the secondary

Chris Bisignano

How many times has a player, who was acquired right before a season, become the leader of a team?

Not very many.

How unlikely is it? Well, Giants safety Logan Ryan wasn’t even on the team a little over a month ago and probably wouldn’t be a Giant if safety Xavier McKinney didn’t suffer a broken foot in training camp.

But here we are.

The 29-year old Ryan, playing in his eighth season, has taken over a young secondary with the right attitude and an impressive resume.

“Hey, anybody who comes in here with two Super Bowl rings is automatically respected,” safety Jabrill Peppers said. “Then you see his knowledge of the game and how he loves teaching all of us…much respect for my guy.”

Respect is something the new coaching staff has a ton of for Ryan. Joe Judge knew Ryan from his New England days and gushed about him after the signing.

“Logan is a professional in every sense of the word,” Judge said. “I knew him since he was a rookie. We hit it off right away, he’s the type of guy that comes to work every day and never complains. He played special teams for me and worked his butt off to become a quality corner in this league.”

Ryan has brought stability to a defense at a time when new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham needed it most. It’s not easy to learn a new system, especially when you have young players, but Ryan has eased the transition, and Graham couldn’t be more grateful.