New York Giants third-year safety Dane Belton was in line for more work after stater Xavier McKinney left for Green Bay via free agency this March.
Then the Giants signed veteran Jalen Mills in free agency and selected Tyler Nubin in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. Nubin has been penciled in as a starter next to Jason Pinnock, but it’s early.
Nubin is beginning training camp on the sidelines with a calf issue and Mills is currently on the NFI list. This could be Belton’s opportunity to win favor with the coaching staff as he’s getting first-team reps at safety in practice.
“I’m confident in my abilities,” Belton said on Wednesday, via NJ Advance Media. “I feel like I earned the right to play (more last year). . . This year, I’m trying to take the job.”
Dane Belton used his excellent eyes to bait Jones into a RZ interception on the final play of practice. pic.twitter.com/xz8e8Vlt6B
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) July 26, 2024
Last season, Belton was the team’s third safety behind McKinney and Pinnock. McKinney played all 1,128 defensive snaps and Pinnock played on 89.3 percent. Belton played on just 296 of the plays or 26.2 percent.
Belton’s real value to the Giants was more as a special teamer.
“Coming off last year, I feel like I deserve this spot — and I’m going to go out there and earn it for sure. I feel like I’ve earned what I’ve gotten so far (with first-team reps in 2024). Things might change. (But) if I go out and make plays, it’s not going to matter. That’s the mindset.”
Belton was a fourth-round pick of the Giants out of Iowa in 2022. He was a hybrid linebacker/defensive back who the Giants have deployed mainly as a safety on defense.
We won’t know until Nubin hits the field what the Giants’ plans are under first-year coordinator Shane Bowen. We know Belton will play, but in what role and how much?
The Giants are looking for a reliable player to come in and take a ton of snaps like McKinney did last season.
“They’re big shoes,” Belton said. “He’s a really good player. But at the same time, I feel like I can do it. I know I make plays.”
