Can Jason Pinnock Earn a Role in the Giants' Safety Rotation?

Will Pinnock emerge as a surprise starter alongside of Xavier McKinney?

Jason Pinnock, Safety

Height: 6-foot | Weight: 200 pounds
2022 Stats: GP: 14 GS: 5, 41 TKL (34 solo), 4 QB hits, 1 FF, 3 PBU

Jason Pinnock was a 2021 fifth-round draft pick of the New York Jets and spent his first season in the NFL playing cornerback for "Gang Green" during the first half of the season.

When he was moved to safety for the second half, his career began to take off. He made two starts over the season's final three games and recorded 11 tackles and two forced fumbles in those games. He began to play with the physicality that his game suggested he possessed.

But even with that promise, the Jets cut him in August of 2022, and the Giants quickly snatched him off waivers.

In 2022 he spent most of the first half of the season playing special teams or was inactive for the Giants. After the bye week, Pinnock began to garner defensive snaps, thanks in part to injuries in the defensive backfield.

Pinnock started five of the final nine games of the regular season. He was a stabilizing force when the defense dealt with multiple secondary injuries. He was able to come in and play deep as well as in the box to give the Giants the diversity needed for their defense to continue to operate at a high level.

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Best Case Scenario

Pinnock seems to be a guy who can be a valuable member of the defense, so the best-case scenario for him is that he takes the next step in his transition to safety and shows that he could play alongside Xavier McKinney as a starter in the defensive backfield.

His cornerback foundation gives him the versatility to cover the field, and experience will only make him better. Even with the other additions to the defensive back room, Pinnock, who was recovering from an off-season issue and was limited all spring, already understands the defense and how he can best fit it.

Worst Case Scenario

If last season's performance was only due to so many injuries on the defensive side, then that could show in a healthy defensive backfield. That may result in Pinnock returning to the role he had on special teams throughout the first half of the 2022 season.

Yes, he has proven he can start on this defense, but if the staff believes that the 2023 defense can elevate from its 2022 iteration, then they may not feel as if Pinnock does not represent advancement or elevation to the next level. Now it would be imperative for him to be impressive as a special teamer to ensure himself a spot on the roster, assuming that whatever it was that kept him sidelined during the spring has fully healed.

What to Expect in 2023

It would be a surprise if Pinnock did not carve out a spot on this roster after last season's performance, but this is the NFL which stands for "Not For Long." Ultimately, the combination of his prowess as a special teamer and his versatility will give him an upper leg on making this team.

His knowledge of the defense and how to operate within it will make him valuable as a depth piece. Even if he cannot break through as a full-time starter, he still brings tremendous value as a guy who can fill in at multiple positions on the field, and we know how much this defensive staff values that flexibility. 

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