One of the players New York Giants fans had the highest hopes for with a new defensive coordinator coming in was third-year safety Tyler Nubin. Dennard Wilson got the most out of his fair share of defensive backs in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Tennessee, so what's one more to add to the list?
And for all of the players Wilson has unlocked on this side of the ball, Nubin hasn't been one of them. It's sad to think this was the guy the Giants thought would replace Xavier McKinney, because not only has he been bad, he's in jeopardy of losing the starting job we supposedly thought was safe.
For starters, Nube suffered a neck injury in the fourth quarter of the tie vs. the Commanders in Week 5, but even if he's healthy, it may not matter. The Athletic's Dan Duggan reported that even if he's healthy, the third-year safety could head to the bench because his grip on his job is already slipping.
"Health aside, Nubin’s hold on his starting job is tenuous," Duggan wrote. "He was benched for Jason Pinnock in the first half of the Week 4 win over the Cardinals and was replaced by Ar’Darius Washington for two series in the first half against the Commanders. Pinnock suffered a concussion during the Cardinals game, but he was running on the sideline at practice late last week, so he appears on track to clear the concussion protocol this week. He may take over as the starter regardless of Nubin’s status."
With Pinnock potentially returning from concussion protocol ahead of Week 6, the Giants could have another option available even if Nubin is healthy enough to play. And considering he’s already lost snaps to both Pinnock and Washington, his grip on the starting job is looking weaker by the week.
The Giants may be inching closer to benching Tyler Nubin
This was a player Big Blue drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and they've given him every chance to turn his career around. Shane Bowen is gone, and they saw what he could do as a rookie, but it's been all downhill since. But this? It would be an all-time low for him.
In college, his saving grace was takeaways. Nubin picked off five passes in his final season at Minnesota, yet he hasn't gotten a single pick in the NFL. And he's struggled with missed tackles, so it's been a sad story for a guy the Giants drafted with the pick they acquired in the Leonard Williams trade.
Pinnock is an interesting case study. He spent three seasons with the team from 2022-2024 (and started 37 games over that time frame) before signing with the San Francisco 49ers in 2025, so it was a bit of a surprise when it was announced he was coming back to New York in free agency.
Giants fans are somewhat aware of what Pinnock entails because of his previous stint here, and Washington is a player that John Harbaugh (and Wilson) coached in Baltimore and brought with him this offseason. Both have experience in this defense, and with Nubin struggling to hold onto his starting job, it’s getting harder to justify keeping him out there simply because of where the Giants drafted him.
Harbaugh is the kind of coach who just wants the most qualified candidate for the job. So while Tyler Nubin is "day-to-day" and has a chance to play on Sunday, there’s a real possibility someone else could take the starting safety gig next to Jevon Holland, whether it be Pinnock or Washington.
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