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Reports: Giants plan to sign CB Ross Cockrell, WR Cody White, OT Jackson Dennis

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Three days before their first full-squad training camp practice, the Giants are planning to sign a veteran cornerback to bolster their secondary and a pair of rookie free agents on offense, according to numerous media reports.

The corner is a familiar face, Ross Cockrell, who played for the team in 2017. Wide receiver Cody White of Michigan State and tackle Jackson Dennis of Holy Cross are the rookies.

The players cannot formally join the Giants until they pass COVID-19 testing protocols and a physical.

View photos from the career of defensive back Ross Cockrell.

Cockrell, 6-0 and 190 pounds, spent the previous two years with Carolina. Last year, he started 11 games opposite cornerback James Bradberry, who was the first veteran free agent the Giants signed in March and is now expected to anchor their defensive backfield.

Cockrell has played in 68 regular-season games with 43 starts with Pittsburgh, Carolina and the Giants, and in five postseason games with three starts. His career totals include 217 tackles (166 solo), seven interceptions he has returned for 133 yards (19.0-yard avg.), 44 passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in the regular season, and 18 tackles (16 solo) and one fumble recovery in the postseason.

In 2019, Cockrell played in 14 games with 11 starts for Carolina. Cockrell finished sixth on the team – just behind Bradberry - with 62 tackles (48 solo), including three stops for loss. He added two interceptions he returned for 70 yards and eight passes defensed.

Cockrell spent the entire 2018 season on injured reserve after fracturing his left leg in training camp.

In his first season with the Giants in 2017, Cockrell played in all 16 games with nine starts – three at left cornerback and six as an extra defensive back. He finished the season with 49 tackles (37 solo), 11 passes defensed, and a career-high three interceptions, which tied him for the team lead.

Cockrell entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft choice by the Buffalo Bills in 2014. The Duke product did not play that season and made his NFL debut the following year, when he played 15 regular-season and two postseason games for the Steelers.

View photos from the career of wide receiver Cody White.

White, 6-3 and 215 pounds, was signed as a free agent following the NFL Draft by the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who waived him on July 29. White is the son of Sheldon White, a defensive back who played six seasons in the NFL, including in 1988-89 with the Giants.

Cody White played in 35 games with 26 starts at Michigan State. He finished his career ranked seventh in MSU history with 143 receptions, 12th with 1,967 receiving yards and tied for 16th with 12 touchdown catches. White compiled 2,115 all-purpose yards (1,967 receiving, 85 punt return, 63 rushing) and had five career 100-yard receiving games. In 2019, he was named honorable mention All-Big Ten after finishing fourth in the league with 66 catches, for 922 yards and six touchdowns, all career-high totals.

Dennis, 6-7 and 308 pounds, was signed by the Arizona Cardinals following the draft and was waived on July 26 when the team cut its roster to 80 players.

Dennis played in 40 games with 24 starts in five seasons at Holy Cross. In 2019, he started all 12 games at right tackle for an offense that averaged 135.9 rushing yards per game and scored 18 rushing touchdowns.

View photos of the Giants' active roster as it currently stands.

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