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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
New York Giants training camp preview: Safeties
The New York Giants made wholesale changes to their secondary this offseason, parting ways with defensive backs/passing game coordinator Jerome Henderson and safeties coach Michael Treier. The team also added a young veteran to the mix in hopes of maximizing the effect of coordinator Shane Bowen's system in his second season. Here is a quick rundown of the Giants' situation at safety. Coaching staff Shane Bowen (defensive coordinator), Marquand Manuel (secondary coach/pass game coordinator), Mike Adams (assistant) Manuel comes over after four years as the Jets' secondary coach and has a long coaching resume in the league, including a stint as the defensive coordinator down in Atlanta with the Falcons. Adams, a former NFL player, is entering his second season with the Giants. Starters Jevon Holland, Tyler Nubin Nubin, a second-round pick out of Minnesota last year, started right out of the gate. He played the first 13 games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. At the time of his injury, Nubin was leading the team with 98 total tackles (57 solo). He is expected to resume where he left off this summer at camp. Holland comes over from Miami via free agency. He is a player the Giants have had their eye on for a while, and scooped him up to lead their young secondary. Holland, a 2021 second-round draft pick, started 57 games over four seasons for the Dolphins, recording 301 total tackles. Others Dane Belton, Anthony Johnson, Jr., Raheem Layne, Makari Paige Belton is a very useful player and has shown the propensity to be a ballhawk, but hasn't been able to crack the lineup, starting just 13 games over his first three years. He could figure prominently in packages. Johnson, a former Green Bay draft pick, was signed at the cut wire by the Giants last August and appeared in nine games in 2024. Layne played his first two seasons for the Los Angeles Chargers before signing with the Giants last summer. He spent most of the season on the practice squad. After being elevated to the active roster in December, Layne suffered a torn meniscus in Week 16 and was lost for the year. Paige was signed as a UDFA after the draft. He is a sizable (6-foot-4, 208 pounds) prospect out of Michigan, where he was a team captain and won a National Championship. Overview The Giants think they have a Pro Bowl-caliber player in Nubin and expect Holland to break out and thrive in New Jersey after four average seasons in Miami. Belton is a high-end backup, and the rest of the group will battle it out for the remaining roster spot.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New York Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' that Shane Bowen is looking for
The New York Giants have focused on improving their secondary over the past few seasons through both the draft and free agency. They've brought in Deonte Banks, Tyler Nubin, and Dru Phillips in the draft and this offseason, signed Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. Advertisement While the team is high on all of those players, it has been one on their roster for years that has been balling out at organized team activities (OTAs). Safety Dane Belton, a fourth-round pick out of Iowa back in 2022, has been standing out in workouts this spring. He is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract and appears intent on forcing the Giants to extend him. "Dane has been really good for us here early. Like he's had a really good spring," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said this week. "Finding ways to get him on the field, what he can do for us to help us." Belton had another interception in practice on Thursday, his third this spring. That had to please Bowen, who earlier in the day outlined his defensive philosophy for the upcoming season. Advertisement "The main thing is emphasizing takeaways. We got to get better at takeaways," Bowen said of his unit, which was 28th overall in the NFL in that category last season. "Somehow got the idea of piracy, violent, attacking to steal possessions or goods, right? You'll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseum: 'Be a damn pirate.' We've got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We're making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball." Belton is doing that. The only issue is that he won't be a starter no matter how many picks he has this summer. The second-year Nubin and Holland have sealed those jobs up. But that doesn't mean he will be relegated to the bench. There's always room for playmakers. Last year, Belton felt he should have been given a shot at starting, but was aced out by Nubin and Jason Pinnock, who is no longer with the Giants, replaced by Holland. Belton did get to start six games but only when there was injury to the starters. He made 15 total tackles in the Giants' Week 15 loss to Baltimore and had an interception against Indianapolis in Week 17. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' Shane Bowen is looking for
New York Times
24-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Three ways new Giants defense may look different: More takeaways, better tackling
After hearing what New York Giants co-owner John Mara had to say about the team's defense at the end of last season — 'I'm tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us' — it wasn't a big surprise that a major offseason focus for the front office was overhauling the unit. The Giants invested heavily in upgrades in both free agency and the NFL Draft in the hopes that improved personnel would help defensive coordinator Shane Bowen in his second year on the job. Bowen, who also let go of two secondary coaches at the beginning of the offseason to kick-start the defensive makeover, knows he's under pressure to deliver drastic improvement after his unit finished 21st in points allowed last season. Advertisement While it won't be easy, there are a few reasons to be optimistic about a resurgence from the Giants' defense. Let's examine a few of the ways this unit should look different in 2025: The Giants haven't just overhauled their defense; they're fostering a youth movement. A vast majority of players in key roles for the defense this year will be 27 years old or younger when the season starts. Only inside linebacker Bobby Okereke (28), defensive linemen Roy Robertson-Harris (32) and Rakeem Nunez-Roches (32) are older. The young players will need to deliver on their promise, but they should be exciting for Giants fans, who can watch this side of the ball grow together. Let's put a quick spotlight on the secondary, which underwent the most dramatic overhaul these past two seasons. Four of the Giants' five presumed starters (cornerback Paulson Adebo, nickel Dru Phillips and safeties Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin) were either draft picks in 2024 or joined in free agency this offseason. Deonte Banks, who the Giants drafted in 2023, will likely serve as the other starting outside cornerback next to Adebo, though he'll need to beat out Cor'Dale Flott (a 2022 draft pick) for the job. Regardless of who wins, Adebo will easily be the oldest member of the starting secondary, and he's just 26. However, Adebo does have five years of NFL experience under his belt, and he'll need to take on a leadership role within the young unit. 'I think he's been an asset in (that room), just the experience, the knowledge,' Bowen said of Adebo. 'Coming in, we have high expectations for him, and part of that was the leadership role. We're expecting him to come in here and take on that role and thrive in that role and hopefully continue to help us to develop some of these younger guys.' If Adebo can indeed help coax the best out of players like Banks, Flott and Phillips, he'll be worth every cent of the $54 million New York gave him this offseason. Something similar could be true for Burns and Thibodeaux as they help Abdul Carter, this year's No. 3 overall pick, acclimate to the NFL. 'When you look at our youth, that is our nucleus,' assistant general manager Brandon Brown said. '(But finding) guys who can help supplement, not just from an age and leadership standpoint but a versatility and skill set standpoint, was really important for us.' Despite the Giants having one of the worst overall run defenses in the league (27th in rushing yards allowed and 24th in yards per carry allowed), it was the secondary that saw major upgrades this offseason. If that seems somewhat backwards to you, that's understandable. But make no mistake, the Giants know they have a lot of room to improve in terms of stopping the run, particularly when it comes to limiting big plays. While the Giants finished fourth in the NFL in the percentage of opponents' runs that went for zero or negative yards (22.5 percent), according to TruMedia, they also allowed the second-most runs (19) that went for 20-plus yards. Advertisement A major reason for that is missed tackles. According to Next Gen Stats, the Giants were one of six teams to surrender more than 1,000 yards after missed tackles last season. 'There were a lot of good snaps in there in the run game, and then we had way too many explosives,' said Bowen. 'It's finding a way, and it goes back to tackling — it takes all 11 every snap. But making sure some of those runs that they might crease us and get through the line of scrimmage, let's see if we can limit those to 10 to 12 yards instead of the 40-yarders that showed up last year, right?' The upgrades in the secondary should theoretically help, as Holland (six missed tackles in 2024, according to Pro Football Reference) replaces former starter Jason Pinnock (nine), but the Giants also simply need better play from their linebackers. McFadden led the team with 15 missed tackles, while Okereke was third with eight. Those two upping their games as the rest of the young defense grows around them should help the Giants take a step forward when it comes to stopping the run. After a season in which the Giants finished 28th in takeaways with just 15, turnovers were unsurprisingly a huge focal point this spring. Bowen, inspired by his son's T-ball team name, the Pirates, implemented a 'turnover chest' to celebrate takeaways throughout OTAs. 'We've got to get better at takeaways,' Bowen said. 'Somehow got the idea of piracy, violent, attacking to steal possessions or goods, right? You'll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseam: 'Be a damn pirate.' We've got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We're making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball.' Adebo is a fan: 'I'm happy and excited to try to get a lot of turnovers, and hopefully I can put a lot of balls in (the chest).' Advertisement And the new addition to the cornerback room, along with the new safety, should help in that regard. Adebo has 10 interceptions in his career, including three in just seven games last year. Holland has tallied five interceptions, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in his four NFL seasons. If Carter's addition boosts the pass rush the way the Giants think it might, that could go a long way in helping create more opportunities for turnovers. Not only will Carter and company look to rack up strip-sacks, but the pass rush should force plenty of errant throws for the secondary to capitalize on. (Photo of Brian Daboll and Abdul Carter: Dan Mullan / Getty Images)
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shane Bowen explains Giants defense's mantra for 2025: 'Be a damn pirate'
New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen introduced a new turnover celebration during the team's OTAs for 2025. Any time a defender forces a turnover, the ball is deposited into a treasure chest the team keeps on the sidelines. Advertisement The second-year Giants defensive coordinator explained the origins of the turnover chest after practice Thursday. It came to him while watching his son play tee-ball for the Pirates, which got him thinking about "the idea of piracy, violent, attacking to steal possessions or goods." That led Bowen to adopt a new mantra for the 2025 NFL season. "You'll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseum: 'Be a damn pirate,'" Bowen told reporters. "We got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We're making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball." AARON RODGERS: Winners and losers of QB's deal with Steelers? Advertisement The Giants produced just 15 total takeaways during the 2024 NFL season, good for the fifth-fewest in the NFL. Their turnover differential of negative-8 ranked seventh-worst in the league. Bowen believes improving in that area could be key in helping New York improve significantly after a 3-14 season. "Twelve of the 14 playoff teams were in the top half of the league taking the ball away," Bowen explained. "We got to do a better job of that, making sure we don't miss opportunities to catch them when they're there, don't miss opportunities to try to attack the ball when they're there, matching the hand, whatever that might be." Bowen also made it clear he's trying not to focus too much on the pressure the Giants coaching staff is facing in 2025, even after owner John Mara admitted he had "just about run out of patience" with his team and was critical of New York's defense. Advertisement "I'm driven by the guys," Bowen said. "My job is to get these guys ready to go out there to execute at the highest level, to maximize their potential, and to perform and ultimately win." If playing like pirates helps Bowen to achieve that goal, few will complain about the coordinator's unorthodox approach to getting the most out of his players. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants DC wants team to create turnovers: 'Be a damn pirate'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CBS Sports names Paulson Adebo Giants' top offseason move
CBS Sports recently released its list of the best offseason additions for every team in the NFC, and for the New York Giants, it was the addition of veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo. Adebo joins the Giants after four years with the New Orleans Saints, where he developed into a physical, instinctive corner capable of handling outside coverage responsibilities. In New York, he's expected to start opposite Deonte Banks, who is entering his third season and looking to bounce back after a down 2024 campaign. Banks has showed flashes of potential but struggled with consistency, and the hope inside the building is that a more reliable partner across from him will help settle things down. Advertisement The Giants moved on from Adoree' Jackson this offseason, leaving a leadership void in the cornerback room that Adebo is now expected to help fill. His experience, ball skills, and toughness give the Giants something they didn't have last year a proven NFL starter with the ability to hold up against top receivers week in and week out. This is also Year 2 under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Bowen's scheme emphasizes communication, versatility, and discipline, areas where the Giants struggled last year, especially on the back end. The addition of Adebo, along with the free-agent signing of safety Jevon Holland, signals a clear commitment to tightening up the secondary. Holland, one of the most consistent safeties in the league during his time in Miami, brings leadership and playmaking range to a safety group that also includes second-year players Tyler Nubin and Andru Phillips, as well as returning veterans Cor'Dale Flott and Dane Belton. Between that young nucleus and the new look at cornerback, the Giants are hoping to put last season's secondary issues behind them. While most of the offseason buzz in New York centered on the quarterback room with the arrivals of Russell Wilson and rookie Jaxson Dart, CBS pointed to Adebo as the most likely newcomer to make an immediate difference on the field. Advertisement It's a fair assessment. Adebo isn't a headline-grabber, but he's steady, experienced, and gives the Giants a ball-hawking cornerback who can handle No. 1 wide receivers. There's still pressure on Banks to improve, and the rest of the secondary remains young, but with Adebo and Holland now in the mix, the Giants should be much-improved in the secondary. If this defense is going to take a step forward, Adebo is going to be a big part of the reason why. More from
