Tyler Nubin Enters Pivotal Year 3 With Simplified Role Under New Giants Defense

The 2024 second-round pick struggled with missed tackles and lacks an interception through two seasons, but Dane Belton's departure opens a path to more box snaps in 2026.Brandon Olsen|

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New York Giants

The New York Giants' safety room underperformed expectations in 2025, with Jevon Holland being brought in as a big-name free agent signing that couldn’t exactly find his footing in year one.

Second-year safety Tyler Nubin was expected to take a significant leap in year two, but instead, seemed to struggle to string together consistent performances.

The Giants have built quality depth at safety with Raheem Layne and Beau Brade returning from last year’s squad as depth pieces that still have room to grow.

In free agency this spring, the Giants added veterans to the room in Ar’Darius Washington and Jason Pinnock.

Both players have some familiarity with the franchise in 2026, as Pinnock, of course, played for the Giants from 2022-2024, and Washington has spent his entire career under John Harbaugh.

As a unit, the room is more reliable depth-wise in 2026 than it was in 2025, but will be replacing Dane Belton as their third safety, who also spent plenty of time in the box and at nickel.

The room is unlikely to be one of the top units on the team, but the improved play of the safeties themselves, as well as an improved defensive game plan, should lead to significant improvement.

Tyler Nubin, S

Height: 6-2
Weight: 210
EXP: 3 Years
School: Minnesota
How Acquired: D2-’24

2025 in Review

It’s clear that 2025 was still a learning experience for Nubin, who took on a much larger role on defense, both in terms of total snaps played and in a more versatile role.

As Nubin took on that more versatile role, it seemed like he struggled to handle the new workload that asked him to contribute more as an all-around option as a sophomore.

Nubin finished the season with 78 total tackles, 7 TFLs, two passes defended, one fumble recovery, and one fumble recovery touchdown.

Missed tackles were an issue for Nubin throughout the season, with 15 missed tackles and a 16.9% missed tackle rate.

The missed tackles would often come in stretches, going multi-game stretches without any, but also having five over the course of two games.

On special teams, Nubin was a consistent contributor on kick coverage and field goal block, playing 131 special teams snaps on the year.

Contract/Cap Info

When the Giants drafted Nubin in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they signed him to a standard four-year contract worth $8,176,718 total with $5,935,968 fully guaranteed at signing.

Unfortunately for Nubin, the 2025 draft was when mid-second-round picks started getting significantly more in guarantees: the 47th pick in 2025 got 85.5% of his contract guaranteed, and this year’s 47th pick got a fully guaranteed deal, as opposed to Nubin’s 72.6%.

Based on his contract alone, before even considering talent and potential, Nubin should be viewed as a virtual lock to make the Giants roster in 2026.

If the Giants were to cut Nubin, they would create $330,743 in cap space but would also incur a dead cap penalty of $1,899,271.

That’s a trade-off that many teams would not be willing to make for a third-year player with potential - there isn’t enough financial incentive to warrant that kind of move.

It’s also worth noting that Holland and Nubin are the only safeties under contract past 2026, so eating Nubin’s dead cap penalty immediately while also destabilizing the room long-term is just another reason that parting ways with Nubin doesn’t make much sense, if any.

2026 Preview

The expectation is still going to be for Nubin to be one of the starting safeties with Holland on the back end.

With a new defensive scheme, there’s no better time than now for Nubin to start playing a new, simplified role that can help him find his footing once again.

If Nubin is put into more situations that let him operate in the box, especially with the snaps that are now available from Belton’s departure, then he should see more success in 2026.

Coverage is still an area that needs notable improvement to put him in a position to make plays on the ball, as he has no interceptions through the first two years of his career.

With a new coaching staff in East Rutherford, this is a fresh slate for Nubin to make an impression, but he also has to remember that this is not the coaching staff that drafted him; it’s all new.

It’s possible that special teams contributions become a more important part of the equation for Nubin’s role under Harbaugh, so he could see more time there.

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BRANDON OLSEN

Brandon Olsen is the founder of Whole Nine Sports, specializing in NFL Draft coverage. He is also the host of the Locked On Gators Podcast, and appears in-season on the Giants Squad Show for the Locked On podcast network.

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7 Rams Fighting for Their Next Contract With Everything to Prove

Blaine Grisak|

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Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams enter a season in which several players will be playing on the final years of their contracts. Several of those players will have more to prove than others. If they prove themselves, it may be enough to convince the Rams to give them an extension. Let’s take a look at seven players with the most to prove in the last year of their contract.

WR Puka Nacua

As Puka Nacua made a case for the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year award, it almost felt like a guarantee that he would be someone the Rams would want to prioritize for an extension. However, following Nacua’s offseason drama, that no longer seems to be the case.

That’s not to say that the Rams won’t re-sign Nacua, but they may wait until the middle of the season or even after itv to get something done. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams place the franchise tag on Nacua before making a long-term investment. Over the next six months, Nacua needs to prove he is mature enough to handle a large contract.

Current Market Value: 4 years, $160.79 million

LG Steve Avila and RG Kevin Dotson

The Rams will have a decision to make this offseason when it comes to Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson. Given the other contracts that need to get done, it seems unlikely that the Rams will be able to bring back both players.

Avila would make a lot of sense as he is the younger of the two players. However, he needs to show consistency and that he can be someone the team can build around on the offensive line. Dotson is the leader of the offensive line and is possibly favored right now to get an extension. With Dotson out because of an ankle injury last season, it became evident how important he was to the offense.

Avila’s Market Value: 4 years, $54.23 million
Dotson’s Market Value: 3 years, $58.3 million

RT Warren McClendon

Back in 2022, the Rams had spent four years developing Joe Noteboom to take over for Andrew Whitworth. Despite limited starting experience, the Rams gave Noteboom an extension and paid him like a starting left tackle.

With McClendon, the Rams will have the benefit of seeing him over the course of a full season. While the Rams didn’t add competition, they have given McClendon the opportunity to prove himself before earning starter-caliber money.

Current Market Value: N/A

DT Kobie Turner

Turner is someone who the Rams will very likely prioritize when it comes to giving him a contract extension. He’s been one of the most important players on the defensive line and is someone they can build around.

Still, Turner will need to prove that he’s worth a big contract. He’s set to get paid as one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL and needs to show another level in 2026.

Current Market Value: 4 years, $129.29 million

EDGE Byron Young

When the Rams extended Myles Garrett, they essentially said that Byron Young won’t be back in 2027. That’s not necessarily the wrong decision, but it’s the fact of the situation. It would be nearly impossible for the Rams to pay two top-level edge rushers.

Young has proven that he can be productive, but is he more than just an EDGE2 on a defense? Given that Young is older, this could be his one opportunity to cash in big on the free agent market. Another productive season and a team will pay him a lot of money next offseason. Unfortunately, that team may not be the Rams.

Current Market Value: 4 years, $120.2 million

CB Emmanuel Forbes

When the Rams claimed Emmanuel Forbes off waivers in 2024, it was a low-risk, high-reward type move. This past offseason, they declined his fifth-year option, which adds some uncertainty to his future with the team.

Just because the Rams declined his option doesn’t mean they couldn’t bring him back. However, Forbes has been inconsistent and hasn’t developed in his new environment as the Rams would have hoped. The potential is there, but he’s far too inconsistent to be relied on as a CB2. If Forbes proves that he can be reliable depth, he may be worth bringing back.

Current Market Value: 2 years, $9.48 million

Published 2 minutes ago

BLAINE GRISAK

Blaine Grisak is the Lead Publisher for Rams on SI covering the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to joining On Sports Illustrated, he covered the Rams for TurfShow Times, attending events such as the NFL Draft, NFL Combine, and Senior Bowl. A graduate of Northeastern University, Blaine grew up in Montana.

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