CBS Sports selects Jason Pinnock as Giants' breakout candidate
CBS Sports' Jared Dubin recently selected a breakout player for every team across the league, in which safety Jason Pinnock was the choice for the Giants.
"Pinnock is now the old veteran in a secondary that has seen fellow safeties like Julian Love and Xavier McKinney exit over the past couple of offseasons," wrote Dubin. "With the benefit of their experience, along with his athleticism and instincts, he should be able to take a step forward in his second year as a starter."
The 25-year-old has made a big impact since being claimed off waivers prior to the start of the 2022 campaign.
In 14 games (five starts) in his first year with the Giants, Pinnock registered 41 tackles (34 solo), 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, three passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Pinnock took a big step in 2023 as he started the first 16 games before a toe injury forced him to miss the season finale. The 6-foot, 200-pound safety set new career-highs in just about every statistic, finishing the year with 85 tackles (59 solo), two sacks, six tackles for loss, six passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
He also recorded the first two interceptions of his NFL career, the first of which he returned 102 yards for his first career touchdown. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the longest return by a player on his first career interception in the Super Bowl era.
Pinnock's 102-yard return tied Erich Barnes for the longest interception return in Giants history.
"Keep showing who Jason Pinnock is," the safety recently said about his goals this season. "Getting better. You just said it for me. I switched positions in another country my rookie year, played corner my whole life. So, the game's extremely slow. Every practice I have, every snap, it's just slowing down for me. And I get to show my athletic ability where I know I separate from a lot of guys for what we do."
Pinnock has been one of the stars of training camp, as he finds himself among the team's leaders in interceptions this summer.
Following yesterday's release of Jalen Mills, the 25-year-old is now the veteran of the Giants' safety group (Dane Belton and Tyler Nubin are both 23 while Gervarrius Owens is 24).
"For one, I take it very personal," Pinnock said about being one of the leaders in the DB room. "And I said almost every time I can speak in front of people, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the position that I was granted, earned, and just the respect I got from the building to be able to have the faith and trust in me to lead these young guys. That's the biggest thing. But I'm just grateful for it."
View the best photos from the NFL career of Giants safety Jason Pinnock.
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New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during week 1 football game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday September 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennesse (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 9 NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, November 5, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 14 NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Monday, December 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) returns an interception during a week 14 NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Monday, December 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) returns an interception during a week 14 NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Monday, December 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during a NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Saturday December 24, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 3 NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Thursday, September 21, 2023 in Santa Clara, California (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 7 NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, October 22, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) before a week 7 NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, October 22, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during an week 1 NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, September 10, 2023 in East Rutherford, NJ. (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 3 NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Thursday, September 21, 2023 in Santa Clara, California (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) a week 7 NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, October 22, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 15 NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, December 17, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 14 NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Monday, December 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 15 NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, December 17, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during a football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday October 2, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 4 NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks Monday October 2, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 4 NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks Monday October 2, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 15 NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, December 17, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 11 NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, November 19, 2023 in Landover, Maryland. (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during a NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday November 21, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 4 NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks Monday October 2, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during a week 16 NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, December 25, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Evan Pinkus / New York Giants)
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New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) intercepts a pass during Training Camp practice at the Quest Diagnostics training center in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
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New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) intercepts a pass during Training Camp practice at the Quest Diagnostics training center in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
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