The New York Giants are sitting pretty at 3-1-1 and leading the NFC East, but a quiet shakeup is coming in the secondary. Despite the team's strong record, safety Tyler Nubin appears to be losing his starting role to Jason Pinnock ahead of Sunday's matchup. This move comes as a shock given Nubin was a second-round pick in 2024, yet his on-field results have simply not matched his draft stock.
According to Dan Duggan writing for The Athletic via Yahoo Sports , a return by Pinnock against the New Orleans Saints this weekend would put him on track to replace Nubin in the starting lineup. Although the Giants added depth by signing both Ar'Darius Washington and Pinnock in free agency, Pinnock's current presence now compels a decision. The coaching staff seems ready to make a change based on cold, hard performance data rather than draft pedigree.
The numbers behind this potential roster move are stark and hard to ignore. At Pro Football Focus, Tyler Nubin holds a career-worst 46.2 overall grade alongside a 45.9 coverage grade, marking the poorest performance of his career to date. These are not just slightly below average marks; they are historically poor numbers for a player in his second year. When a second-round pick posts grades like that, a change becomes inevitable.
Deonte Banks' breakout has assisted in concealing the struggling safety, while Jevon Holland has helped cover Nubin's deficiencies so far in 2026. But you cannot rely on teammates to cover up mistakes forever. The Saints offense is too dangerous to leave a hole in the middle of the field that the stats say is wide open. The Giants need someone who can read the quarterback and react instantly.
With familiarity that Nubin has not yet demonstrated, Jason Pinnock returns for his second stint with New York. During his initial run with the ballclub from 2022 through 2024, Pinnock performed in a passable manner for much of that time. He knows the playbook, he knows the defensive calls, and he knows how to fit into this specific scheme without hesitation.
The Giants cannot afford to wait for Nubin to figure things out while the season slips away. Sunday's game against the Saints at MetLife Stadium is the perfect test to see if a change in personnel fixes the safety issues. If Pinnock gets the start, the defense might finally find the stability it needs to keep the NFC East lead.
The team sits atop the division, but that lead means nothing if the secondary keeps giving up big plays. The switch to Pinnock is a direct response to the 46.2 overall grade that Nubin posted.
