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The New York Giant put a ton of responsibility on the shoulders of rookie safety Tyler Nubin this season after deciding to let Xavier McKinney walk in free agency.
McKinney went on to have an All-Pro season in his first year with the Green Bay Packers, but the Giants didn’t exactly get shortchanged by inserting Nubin in his spot this year.
The second-round draft pick out of Minnesota started the first 13 games and led the team with 97 tackles when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury against New Orleans on December 15.
Nubin believes he will be back and even better in 2025.
“I felt like I grew a lot this year, not only as a football player but as a man too,” Nubin said in a Giants.com interview. “Just being around the guys, being around this great staff, and grinding every day. Just growing together and growing through those pains but getting better at the same time.”
Nubin will be asked to take on a more leadership role next season. The Giants are still deciding whether they will re-sign his partner, Jason Pinnock, or elevate Dane Belton to a starting role.
“For me, just making sure that I come back the most ready of anybody in this whole organization and making sure that I come back ready to lead,” he said.
But for now, Nubin still has a ways to go as he rehabs his injured ankle.
“It’s really more of a mental thing, especially in trying to get back and really get back into it, but also being away from the game because you put so much into it,” he said.
“I’ve been doing this my whole life, and it’s really hard to be away from the game that you love, so it’s really more of a mental thing than physical because you’re always going to be working. I’m young, and I feel like I’m going to recover well, but the mental part is what’s been the toughest.”