Is NY Giants Safety Tyler Nubin Ready to Take the Next Step?

With the departure of safety Jason Pinnock in free agency to the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Giants safety room will be asking for someone to step up and replace the void left by Pinnock.

Part of that will be addressed by the signing of free agent Jevon Holland and the return of veteran Dane Belton, the latter of whom is entering the final year of his contract. However, a key part of that will be taken on by second-year player Tyler Nubin, who will pair with Holland as the starting duo.

This makes for a strong safety tandem as both Holland and Nubin can play both safety spots, allowing for their roles to change on any given play. 

Coming out of Minnesota, Nubin was one of our favorite safety prospects and ended up being our highest-rated safety in the class. We had a first-round grade on him, but he ended up falling into the early second round, where the Giants made him the first safety selected.

Nubin impressed more with his physicality than his coverage skills. He was consistently tough and quick to the ball, tackling hard. He’s the type of safety that this team hasn’t had in years: a big, physical type who can fill holes and stop running backs in their tracks.

Tyler Nubin, S

Height: 6-1
Weight: 199
EXP: 2 Years
School: Minnesota
How Acquired: D2-’24

2024 in Review

In his rookie season with the Giants, Nubin played the third-most snaps on the defense with 789 and impressed in those opportunities.

That high snap count is both a testament to the importance of the role Nubin played, despite only playing 13 games, as well as a reminder of the injuries this team dealt with in 2024.

Nubin was utilized throughout the defensive formation, and we could see that role expand further in 2025 after becoming more comfortable with the system.

Again, where Nubin impressed me the most was his tackling in space, an area where rookies often make mistakes as they catch up to the speed and skill of NFL athletes.

Nubin posted just a 9.4% missed tackle rate, the lowest rate among Giants with at least 50 tackles. He produced three straight 12-tackle efforts before an ankle injury in Week 13 ended his rookie season. 

On the negative side, Nubin recorded zero interceptions and only one pass defensed in those 13 games, so his coverage work needs to improve.

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Contract/Cap Info

Nubin is entering Year 2 of his four-year, $8,176,718 rookie deal, which has $5,935,968 fully guaranteed, that guaranteed money all coming in the first three years of his deal.

In 2025, he will count $1.858 million against the team’s cap, with $1.166 million (his 2025 base salary) being part of the guaranteed money.

His $2.766 million signing bonus prorates to $691,676 per year. He also has $50,000 workout bonuses in the last two years of his deal.

Not that we see this happening, but if the Giants wanted to move on from Nubin, they would have to wait until after the 2026 season, the final year of his deal, to gain any sort of cap savings.  

2025 Preview

Nubin and Holland just might be soul mates in the secondary, given how well their skillsets mesh; it’s just about putting it together on the field now.

Both are capable of playing deep and box safety roles, allowing the Giants flexibility with how they defend offenses.

At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Nubin has the ideal build for the position, plenty of speed and athleticism, and the aggressive attack mentality to match the measurables.  He was a ballhawk in college (13 career interceptions); let’s hope there’s a similar turnover component in his sophomore season and beyond.   

We also expect to see some variation of three safety sets, with Nubin, Holland, and Belton all on the field at the same time.

The improved pass rush of the Giants in 2025 should also open up more opportunities for the safety to make a play on the ball.

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