The New York Giants have several potential breakout stars on their roster ahead of the 2023 regular season but some have drawn more national attention than others.
For safety Jason Pinnock, that has changed in recent weeks thanks to his dazzling performances in practice and his attention-grabbing play over the team’s first two preseason games.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report has caught on and recently named Pinnock one of the NFL’s six breakout candidates for 2023.
Things started to turn for Pinnock after he was picked up by the G-Men last year. He participated in 14 games — starting five of them — and improved his numbers, finishing the year with 41 tackles, three pass defenses, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery while logging nearly half of New York’s defensive snaps. Based on his preseason performances so far, Pinnock could be in line to shatter those stats while becoming a key part of the Giants’ defensive plans.
In the opener against the Detroit Lions, Pinnock recorded two pass defenses and a tackle for loss before being pulled after a mere five defensive snaps for his strong play. After the game, head coach Brian Daboll explained the decision: “He’s had a good camp. We were going to play him in roughly 10 to 12 plays, but he had some productive plays early on. So, we got him out, gave some other guys some opportunity. But, pretty productive day for a short amount of time.”
Don’t forget that Pinnock also had a key interception on the Lions’ first offensive series of the game. It was one of his many this spring including a one-handed gem that went vial, as Kay notes.
His exhibition performances haven’t come as a surprise to those who have been paying attention to New York’s offseason, as Pinnock has made some special plays during practice—including this one at the start of camp:
One-handed INT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/owJgiELMjX
— New York Giants (@Giants) July 30, 2023
Pinnock is destined to start alongside Xavier McKinney this season, as defensive coordinator Wink Martindale suggested on Wednesday.
With Pinnock listed as the starter next to Xavier McKinney on the unofficial depth chart — and McKinney making comments that seem to indicate that will remain the case going forward — it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the league sees how far Pinnock has come and what he can offer.
McKinney has offered up hefty praise for his teammate but cautioned that they’re still working on their chemistry. The good news is that both players are talented and professional, and Pinnock does have “break out” written all over him.
