The New York Giants have botched their safety situation during the Joe Schoen
era. The general manager inherited safeties Xavier McKinney and Julian Love from Dave Gettleman. Both safeties were captains on the Giants; the latter left after the 2022 season, signing a two-year, $12-million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, while the former signed a massive four-year, $68 million contract with the Green Bay Packers at the end of the 2023 season.Both players excelled in their new homes, with Love signing
a three-year, $33-million contract to remain in Seattle. Schoen initially opted for a cheap safety solution, with Jason Pinnock as one option and Dane Belton as depth. Then Schoen spent the 47th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Tyler Nubin, who showed promise in his rookie season but whose athletic capabilities were exposed in year two.
To rectify the weakness of the 2024 safety room, Schoen made a big investment in Jevon Holland to start the 2025 off-season. Holland signed a three-year, $45.3-million contract, and returns on that investment were minimal in year one, albeit a new defensive structure could certainly benefit both Holland and Nubin. Plus, the Giants may not be done investing at the position.
2025 season in review
Jevon Holland, Tyler Nubin, Dane Belton, Raheem Layne, Beau Brade
Nubin showed promise during his rookie season but took a step back in Year 2. The image of Nubin struggling to keep pace with running backs up the sideline is one that Giants fans would gladly dispense with; however, to be fair, those backside gaps should never have been left vacant. Nubin was repeatedly placed in difficult situations that exposed his marginal speed and acceleration.
He finished the season with 71 tackles, 15 missed (16.9% missed tackle rate), and 20 STOPs near the line of scrimmage. Schoen drafted Nubin because of his ball-hawking skill set at Minnesota, where he set the university’s interception record. After two seasons, Nubin has two passes defensed and zero picks. Days could be brighter for Nubin, but he may be best suited closer to the line of scrimmage in a Belton-esque role. Nubin missed the final two games of the season with a neck injury.
Speaking of Belton, he played 705 defensive snaps, starting nine games for the Giants, while operating in his sub-package DIME/LB role. Belton started when Holland and Nubin were injured, and he finished the year with 94 tackles and just four missed (4.1% missed tackle rate), with 16 STOPs, four passes defensed, a pick, and three interceptions allowed. The 25-year-old is set to hit free agency.
Belton filled a valuable role for the Giants and was reliable, putting up his best season in a contract year. He played deep safety, buzz defender, in the slot, and he had 272 snaps in the box. You could do much worse than Belton as the third safety.
Holland was known as a ball hawk at Oregon and in the first two years of his professional career in Miami. That did not manifest in Year 1 with the Giants. Holland recorded three passes defensed with one interception, but he did have a pick-six negated by an Abdul Carter offside. Holland was guilty of four penalties and had 57 total tackles, nine STOPs, and seven missed tackles (10.9% missed tackle rate).
Holland wasn’t bad, but — like most players not on the defensive front — did notmake many plays. His presence did not appear to be much of an upgrade over players like Pinnock or Belton. Still, I remain optimistic that Holland and Nubin are in for better days now that the Giants have moved on from former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
Raheem Layne played 105 snaps for the Giants’ defense and was a hard hitter who missed 27.3% of his tackles. Brade played just one defensive snap: the 29-yard reception to Marvin Mims Jr. with 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter against Denver. Not Brade’s fault, but that was his only snap of the season.
2026 outlook
We are uncertain who the defensive coordinator will be for the 2026 season under John Harbaugh. One name linked to the Giants in a weaker 2026 draft class is star safety Caleb Downs of Ohio State. Eric Berry was the last safety drafted in the top five of an NFL draft, and that was in 2010 by the Kansas City Chiefs, although Jamal Adams was selected sixth by the Jets in 2017.
There would be resistance if the Giants spent the No. 5 pick on Downs, given the poor management of the safety room under Schoen’s tenure and the positional value of a safety. Still, Downs has game-changing ability with a rare combination of the three R’s: recognition, range, and run support.
A safety with that type of versatility can allow the Giants to play lighter boxes to entice the run from a two-high-shell, while fitting the run quickly to force STOPs near the line of scrimmage. A player like Downs is a threat over the middle of the field in coverage, and he tilts the math in favor of the defense when he can fit from depth with such consistency. I’m not advocating for the Giants to draft Downs, but I do understand the appeal, especially in this draft.
If the Giants go high at safety with a player like Downs, then Nubin would transition more to a sub-package hybrid-linebacker role. Downs would quickly be the Giants’ best defensive player outside their edge and defensive line group. Myles ‘Ghost’ Rowser of Arizona State could be a day-two option if the Giants really wanted to add another safety, which I don’t envision unless it’s Downs.
Belton is a free agent who may opt to take his talents elsewhere. Belton never received the opportunity to be the starter through his rookie contract, despite the Giants parting ways with Love and McKinney. He earned significant snaps in 2025 due to injury. He may want to explore other options, but a new coaching staff could convince Belton to stay if Schoen and the coaches want his talents here in New York.
Depth additions are necessary if Belton does depart. A player like Alohi Gilman, who played most of the 2025 season with Harbaugh in Baltimore, could be a high-football-IQ option for New York. We’ll know more about the best fits when the Giants hire a defensive coordinator.
