Joe Judge: Logan Ryan “will play a variety of roles”

The New York Giants made about as big a splash as they could have made this close to the regular season when they added veteran cornerback Logan Ryan on Monday. Ryan brings needed experience and versatility to a defensive backfield that has lost DeAndre Baker, Sam Beal and Xavier McKinney.

“He’s a smart, tough football player,” head coach Joe Judge said on Tuesday. “We’re glad to have him.”

Judge was the special teams coach for the New England Patriots when they drafted Ryan in 2013.

“Logan’s a guy that comes to work every day with the right demeanor,” Judge said. “He’s s a smart guy, plays tough on the field.”

There has been speculation that the Giants might be a landing spot for Ryan in free agency for most of the offseason.

“We’d had talks previously with Logan, “Judge admitted. “This wasn’t the first round of talks we had with him, so I’m glad it worked out and I’m glad he’s on his way up here.”

“He does a lot of things really well.”

What role will the 29-year-old play for the Giants? Boundary cornerback? Slot cornerback? Free safety? Strong safety? The answer is probably all of the above

“He’s going to play a variety of roles for us. If I gave you one answer I’d be lying,” Judge said when asked about Logan’s position. “One of his strengths is versatility. We’re going to play him in different packages all over the field.

Judge was asked if bringing in a veteran player who likely will take snaps away from younger teammates would slow the development of those players.

“To me it’s valuable bringing in good football players no matter what age they are. It doesn’t matter what year you are in the league, if you’re a good player you’ll help us,” Judge said. “Really having a guy like that allows you to play other guys in fewer positions. He can handle a lot of the multiples while these guys are learning the system.”