With less than a week remaining until their preseason opener, Jevon Holland and the New York Giants are still flying under the radar.
In fairness to Holland, it’s become easy for him to be overshadowed. Much of the Giants’ offseason defensive talk has involved rookie Arvell Reese, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter. Of course, we also can’t forget about the since-traded Dexter Lawrence.
But then there’s Holland, the former Dolphins safety who had an underwhelming first year in New York. He failed to record a forced fumble for the first time since his rookie season, and he looked a step slower over his 14 games.
Apparently, that’s enough for Pro Football Focus to give up on the 26-year-old Holland. PFF omitted both Holland and Tyler Nubin from a list of the league’s top 32 safeties, which is especially telling.
Jevon Holland's rocky season has him plummeting out of safety rankings
Before going any further, Pro Football Focus deserves credit for not trying to force Holland or Nubin onto the list. Not every top 32 ranking needs to include a player from every team. Otherwise, you risk losing your credibility with inaccurate or incomplete analysis just to check a box.
In that case, Giants fans would rather Holland not be on the list. This summer has seen a rash of outrageous national media takes about the Giants, most notably involving quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo.
Not that we don’t understand why PFF isn’t buying high on Holland. The service ranked him No. 73 among 98 qualified safeties last year, and while their grading system has drawn fierce backlash in recent years, the bottom line is that it’s a site citing their internal metrics when compiling a rankings list.
Giants fans don’t seem ready to wave the white flag on Holland, though. Without speculating too much, last year’s teamwide dysfunction likely didn’t help him adjust to the Giants. We often forget the challenges of joining a new team, even more so for someone who came into the league at 21 years old and had just finished his rookie contract.
Holland is under team control through next year, and his $13.2 million for 2027 could present problems in a possible trade. However, it still feels too early to write him off. The Giants need all of the veteran help they can get, especially after trading Lawrence and losing defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris to a season-ending Achilles tear.
With how much attention the Giants’ young core has received in recent months, it’d only be fitting for a sixth-year safety to be the one who unexpectedly shines for a potential playoff team.
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