The New York Giants overhauled their defensive backfield this offseason, injecting talent at cornerback and safety.
Their young and inexperienced secondary flashed potential last season, but ultimately struggled to maintain a consistent level of high performance.
Entering 2025, the unit has more talent and adequate depth to perform at a high level. Among the quality depth is fourth-year DB Dane Belton, whose strong performance this spring could lead to increased opportunities this season.
Dane Belton was the Giants’ standout performer during the spring
Belton could not stop making plays during OTAs and minicamp this spring. He grabbed several interceptions, broke up even more passes, and even returned more than one of those interceptions for touchdowns during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
According to Giants.com, Belton led the defense in takeaways this spring. He was viewed by several of Giants.com’s analysts as the biggest standout performer from OTAs and minicamp.
Belton is entering the fourth season of his career, which is the final year of his rookie contract. After a strong spring of practices, could he carry that momentum into the summer and steal some playing time in the regular season?
Could Belton steal playing time this season?
Throughout his NFL career, Belton has demonstrated a nose for the football, being involved in nine forced interceptions through three seasons while registering a career-high of only 42% of snaps in a single campaign.
That career-high in playing time came last season, resulting in career-highs with 56 combined tackles and six pass defenses.
Despite his upward trajectory, Belton is in danger of seeing his playing time decrease this season as a result of the team signing veteran star Jevon Holland this offseason.
Holland will start alongside Tyler Nubin on the back end for the Giants. Belton will likely have to rotate in on nickel and dime packages or wait for injuries to insert him into the lineup in relief.
However, if he continues to play as impressively as he did in the spring during the summer of training camp practices, perhaps Belton could steal some playing time this season.
The Giants’ starting safeties have been on the field for upwards of 90% of snaps in each of the last two campaigns. With Belton ascending and becoming a quality player, they could afford to give their starters more rest, keep them fresh, and reward Belton with additional playing time.
Belton’s ability to force turnovers is valuable, especially considering the Giants’ defense recorded only five interceptions in 2024 (ranking 31st in the league). With a strong summer of practices and preseason games, Belton could become a consistent contributor in the Giants’ defense.
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