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Jun 17, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin (27) participates in a drill during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

New York Giants 2025 Training Camp Preview: Safeties

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Brandon Olsen | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 2:25 PM ET

The New York Giants made an unexpected free agency signing by bringing in Jevon Holland on a three-year contract worth $45.3M with $27.4M fully guaranteed.

It was a surprising move considering the Giants had let Xavier McKinney and Jason Pinnock walk in consecutive offseasons.

Tyler Nubin had a strong rookie year in 2024 after being a second-round pick in the Draft and should be able to build off of it.

This will be the first offseason that Nubin should have the full NFL experience, as he began training camp injured in 2024.

Dane Belton had an impressive spring and was one of the few defensive backs who consistently forced turnovers.

Multiple players are competing for the final spot(s) in the safety room, where special teams contributions will likely be a determining factor.

Rostered Players

Dane Belton: Belton returns in 2025 for the final year of his rookie contract, as the other safety who played significant snaps in 2024, returning to the Giants.

Jevon Holland: The Giants signed Holland as a big-time free agent from the Dolphins, and he could help open up their defensive scheme.

Anthony Johnson Jr: Johnson was cut by the Packers to end the preseason in 2024 and joined the Giants to play in nine games, almost exclusively on special teams.

Raheem Layne: Layne signed with the Giants' practice squad at the end of the 2024 preseason and was promoted to the active roster late in the season.

Tyler Nubin: Nubin played the third-most snaps on the Giants defense despite missing four games, playing an essential role as a rookie.

Makari Paige: Paige is an undrafted rookie from Michigan looking to earn a spot on the roster, but should be a practice squad candidate if he doesn’t make it.

Biggest Unanswered Question

How will this group mesh together?

While replacing Pinnock with Holland may have given the Giants a more talented safety room in 2025 compared to 2024, there’s now the question of how the new combination will work.

Part of what makes me think this room will mesh well is how versatile both Holland and Nubin are, not just in terms of where they line up pre-snap, but what they’re capable of during plays.

Belton is less versatile in terms of playing the field or boundary, but he is capable of contributing more in the box.

How Bowen uses the trio will be interesting, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants had some sets where they put all three on the field at once and throw the kitchen sink at opposing offenses.

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Training Camp Battle to Watch

Johnson, Layne, and Paige for the final safety spot

The Giants' top three safeties are practically set in stone with Holland, Nubin, and Belton on the roster, but behind them, the battle should be wide open.

Johnson Jr. should be looked at as the immediate favorite to earn the fourth safety spot, considering his special-teams value.

Layne was with the Giants last season, with only one appearance on defense and two appearances on special teams, so he didn’t exactly have a chance to impress in a game.

The flip side of that conversation is that even with Nubin missing time, he never found a way to earn snaps.

Paige has intriguing size and length but may lack the overall athleticism to play a significant defensive role.

Camp Position Grade: B+

There's plenty of talent here at the top of the depth chart, but as for the bottom? The jury is still out, though we will be curious to see if the Giants opt for four or three linebackers and utilize one as a pseudo-safety.

Early 53-man Roster Projections

The Giants technically kept five safeties on the initial 53-man roster in 2024, but one of those was Isaiah Simmons, who played just three snaps at safety.

Pinnock, Nubin, and Belton were the only players to take more than 15 snaps at deep safety spots, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think the Giants keep four safeties if they intend to play mostly three.

Special teams now hold more significant value for that final spot, in which case Johnson Jr. should have the leg up over Layne.

With Paige being a rookie free agent, the expectation is that he will be added to the practice squad.

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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