It wasn’t even that long ago when we all thought Tyler Nubin was going to be a huge part of the New York Giants turning things around. His rookie year had the usual first-year speed bumps, but you’d still call it a success. He was only 23 and looked like a fixture of the secondary.
But then 2025 came and threw a massive, sophomore-slump-sized wrench into things.
He looked completely lost in then-defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's scheme, routinely taking terrible pursuit angles, blowing coverages, and missing tackles he easily made a year prior. To make matters worse, his season ended early yet again -- this time with a neck injury in December that landed him straight on IR.
But a Year 3 breakout campaign could put a lot of growing worry to rest...
Giants need Tyler Nubin to cut the disappearing act out
To no one's surprise, Nubin didn't crack ESPN's list of the top-10 safeties entering 2026. I guess that's what happens when you take a pretty big step back after a promising rookie season.
Making the pill harder to swallow is seeing former Giants names like Xavier McKinney and Julian Love get some attention. McKinney was ranked third while Love received some votes. Not four years ago, that duo was starting for the G-Men. Now we're here.
Not only did general manager Joe Schoen screw up that setup, but also cracking the top 10 was Houston Texans safety, Calen Bullock. No, the third-year safety never suited up for Big Blue, but he is a member of Nubin's draft class, going 31 spots later, at 78 overall.
This isn't a baseball article, but that's a lot of swings and misses, all to end up with an underwhelming safety situation entering 2026. For what it's worth, Holland (very) surprisingly earned a vote or two, making an appearance in the "also receiving votes" group. Not a bad consolation prize for a guy coming off the worst season of his career.
Unfortunately, just because he received votes doesn't mean the Big Blue mob isn't keeping a close eye on the three-year, $45 million deal he got last season.
Which brings us right back to Nubin. With ESPN’s list officially cementing just how far his stock has fallen around the league, a massive breakout third-year is about as much a need as water is for life.
The G-Men simply cannot afford for him to be a draft bust while McKinney dominates with the Green Bay Packers and Holland hoards their cap space.
Under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, the training wheels are off. If Nubin can't find his old college ball-hawking instincts and lock down the starting job this summer under Wilson, the Giants' safety position is going to go from a question mark to an absolute disaster.
The clock is ticking.
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