Can Ball Hawk CB TJ Moore Grab a Spot Among the NY Giants Cornerbacks?

The New York Giants continued to add to the competition in their defensive back room when they added Mercer University All-American cornerback T.J. Moore as an undrafted free agent. Moore proved that he was a playmaking defensive back who was adept at taking the ball away from the offense. 

He competed in all of the games in his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons. He had 55 total tackles, including 39 solo stops. He picked off four interceptions and broke up six passes. He also recovered a fumble. 

His sophomore year is what sparked people's awareness of the talent he truly possessed. He was named to the All-Southern Conference team by the media and Phil Steele. He recorded career highs at the time in interceptions, tackles, and single-game tackles.

During his redshirt junior season, he started every game for the Bears' defense. He also set a new career high in tackles with 43 total tackles, which included a new career high of 31 solo tackles. 

Many passing games avoided targeting him as a junior, so he did not intercept any passes in 2023. He had a career-high five passes defended and forced a fumble. Overall, it was a rather quiet junior campaign for a player looking to stand out to evaluators.

TJ Moore, CB

Height: 6-0
Weight: 187 lbs.
Exp: Rookie
School: Mercer
How Acquired: UDFA-'25

2024 in Review

The 2024 campaign was a breakout season for Moore at Mercer. He started all 14 games for the Bears in his final season in Macon, Georgia. He recorded a career-high 64 total tackles, which included 42 solo tackles and a tackle for loss. He also recorded career-high numbers as a coverage cornerback. 

He finished the season with 20 passes defensed, which is more than he recorded in his first four seasons combined. He also picked the ball off seven times. That is three more than his career numbers to that point. 

He returned them all for 93 yards and a touchdown. It was a quantum leap for the fifth-year senior. He was a unanimous first-team FCS All-American and the runner-up for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best FCS defender in the country. 

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NY Giants Contract/Cap Info

T.J. Moore signed a three-year, $2.96 million contract with the New York Giants that includes a $1,000 signing bonus. He has a $840,333 cap hit this year; if he does not make the roster, the Giants will take a $333 dead money charge this year and a $667 dead hit next year. 

2025 Preview

Moore will try to stand out among all of the other rookie defensive backs that will be out there, starting with seventh-round pick cornerback Korie Black from Oklahoma State and fellow undrafted free agent O'Donnell Fortune from South Carolina State. 

That's before we get to all the other defensive backs trying to make this squad outside of the two-deep that has already been established on this squad. 

Moore is likely fighting to grab a practice squad spot from one of the other young defensive backs from 2024 and 2025. It will ultimately be a difficult group to break into after years of being one of the lighter groups. 

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