https://sports.yahoo.com/stay-giants-sign-jason-pinnock-150000052.html
When this past offseason for the Giants is discussed, the exit of safety Xavier McKinney is often brought up — along with Saquon Barkley‘s departure. McKinney had career years with the Packers this season and now the Giants have another decision to make on another young safety, Jason Pinnock.
Pinnock started his career with the Jets when he was drafted 175th overall in the 2021 draft as a cornerback before being claimed off waivers by the Giants in Aug. 2022 and moving over to safety. The change of scenery and position did wonders for Pinnock who played in 14 games (five starts) while picking up 1.5 sacks, four QB hits and forcing a fumble in his first season with Big Blue.
Since then, Pinnock has played 16 games in each of the last two seasons including putting up career numbers in various categories.
Pinnock is a free agent this offseason and with the Giants in a rebuild following a 3-14 season, should Big Blue look to keep this safety?
Why Pinnock should be back
Consistency is the key on both sides of the ball, and the Giants have tried to keep their defense the same over the last few seasons. For that reason, the Giants could look to keep Pinnock in the fold as he’s provided solid safety play. He tallied 85 tackles (50 solo), including 3.0 sacks, along with one defensed pass over 16 games. For the second straight season, Pinnock started in all 16 games in which he played and logged exactly 85 tackles.
Pinnock is the epitome of consistency, even if his numbers don’t jump off the page. It should be noted that the Giants had a new defensive coordinator (Shane Bowen) this season, so Pinnock perhaps needed the time to acclimate himself to the new schemes. If brought back, another year under Bowen’s defense should yield better results.
Also, after not keeping McKinney maybe the Giants will try and keep a young safety in his prime this time, especially when you look at who else is playing safety. Tyler Nubin is still learning and coming off an injury while Dane Belton is a good depth piece but hasn’t really shown play that the Giants would consider starting him.
Why Pinnock should not be back
Any argument for Pinnock to stay is whether the Giants believe he’s already hit his ceiling. Pinnock’s high-water mark so far in his young career was in the 2023 season when he sacked the QB twice, picked up four QB hits and picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown (102 yards).
This season, Pinnock was on his way to a career year but after picking up his three sacks in the first three weeks, he didn’t have another the rest of the way. Again, Pinnock was playing in Bowen’s system for the first time after excelling in Wink Martindale‘s defense a season before, but who’s to say Pinnock can take that next step with Bowen?
Pinnock’s play style may be best elsewhere.
Verdict
Giants general manager Joe Schoen already has plenty of holes to fill on this roster and bringing Pinnock back would fortify the safety position for another few years. If the Giants can re-sign Pinnock on a team-friendly deal, it’ll be the safe move while the organization looks to rebuild a competitive roster.
https://sports.yahoo.com/stay-giants-sign-jason-pinnock-150000052.html
