Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton leading critical Giants’ safety competition

Filling Xavier McKinney’s shoes might be a two-man job for the Giants. 

The voice of leadership in the NFL’s youngest secondary could come from Jason Pinnock, who played 1,011 snaps lined up next to McKinney last season and is the elder statesman among projected starters as just a fourth-year pro.

The ball-hawking skills could come from Dane Belton, who isn’t about to relinquish his long-awaited opportunity to rookie Tyler Nubin without a fight. 

“It’s a battle, but I’m confident in my abilities,” Belton said. “Coming off last year, I feel like I deserve the spot — and I’m going to go out there and earn it, for sure.” 

General manager Joe Schoen let three young safeties who were teammates on rookie contracts in 2020-21 leave as free agents one offseason after another in order to redirect spending toward other positions.

Jabrill Peppers (Patriots), Julian Love (Seahawks) and McKinney (Packers) all signed new deals over the past four months that are worth up to $133 million. 

Schoen stole Pinnock off of waivers from the Jets and drafted Belton as a 2022 fourth-rounder and Nubin as a 2024 second-rounder.

To call it an overhaul is an understatement. 

“I don’t look at it as any individual filling [McKinney’s] shoes,” Pinnock said. “I really look at it as me getting to show the world Jason Pinnock.” 

The Giants are introducing a new defense under coordinator Shane Bowen.

A zone-heavy disguised-coverage scheme that demands a lot of its safeties, not less. 

“It’s a weight on us, but a weight that I love,” said Pinnock, a former college cornerback. “This is more of a communication-based defense. As a guy who switched positions, my study habits are probably way higher than people who have been playing it forever — not to say they get complacent. It’s becoming second nature for me.” 

Pinnock’s emergence and McKinney’s durability last season — one of three players in the league to play every snap — left no room for Belton except in three-safety packages. 

When opportunity has knocked, Belton has delivered an All-Star-like ratio of ball production per snap, with four interceptions, three fumbles recoveries and a sack on 686 career defensive snaps.

What if those numbers were extrapolated over a full season? 

“I know I can make plays,” Belton said. “More opportunity, more plays, more space to make plays. The more I play, the better I get, the more plays I’m able to make.” 

Sure enough, with Nubin sidelined by a calf injury, Belton closed Friday’s practice by intercepting a red-zone pass forced from Daniel Jones to Malik Nabers.

He was ahead of Nubin during spring OTAs. 

“I feel like I earned the right to play more [last year]. This year, I’m trying to take the job,” Belton said. “Things might change, things might stay the same. It’s all about how you play. No matter what team I’m on — first, second or third — if I go make plays, it’s not going to matter. That’s the mindset.” 

Pinnock and McKinney were interchangeably used as free and strong safeties from one play to the next.

Bowen’s plan is to keep that versatility without labels, but there is no denying that Pinnock’s job as Safety 1 is secure, so he can finally exhale a bit? 

“My pops coached me from when I was 7 all the way to 17, so I never got a breather even in the car back home,” Pinnock said. “In this league, you can’t breathe, but you have to love it. I’m not breathing until I’m the top safety [in the NFL]. I’m still battling against guys in different jerseys.” 

To make sure he was ready, Pinnock installed a home gym in the offseason that has him looking leaner and feeling “more explosive, bouncier.” 

“If it’s a challenge to the outside, that’s what I always wanted,” Pinnock said. “Go back to 2021: I always felt like I was a diamond in the rough, and I can’t thank this organization enough for believing in me. Letting me show I’m a selfless player, filling my [expanding] roles. Letting me know, ‘You earn it, so go get it.’ That’s all a player can ask for.” 

It’s all Belton is asking for now. 

“Nubes is a good guy and we’re teammates so we are going to make the best of our opportunities,” he said. “Competition in general from top to bottom of the team is going to make everyone better.”