EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- Last season, the New York Giants had a decent amount of experience in the secondary. There was cornerback Adoree' Jackson, who was in his seventh NFL season. There was also safety Xavier McKinney, who was in his fourth year. The year before, both Jackson and McKinney were there, but so were Julian Love, Darnay Holmes, Tony Jefferson, and Fabian Moreau.
So, safety Jason Pinnock is used to having veterans around him. That won't be the case this season, as the veterans who stocked New York's secondary have all matriculated elsewhere over the past two offseasons. Now, Pinnock is the experienced one out of the group.
"I'm the oldest. I just turned 25, not even a month ago," Pinnock said. "So, it's very humble. It's a lot of learning going on. It's a lot of film studies going on. And I've been other places, and it's probably not the same, as far as film studies specifically in the DB room. So, that's exciting. Routes are slowing down for them. And then you just got room to build. You got youth. Their body's good. So, we're ready to roll, ready to run."
Not only is Pinnock the old man of the secondary, but he's also a converted cornerback. So, he's still getting used to playing on the back end of the defense. And he views an opportunity in that.
"Keep showing who Jason Pinnock is. Getting better," he said. "I switched positions in 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."
New York's defense struggled last season, but has a chance to take a step forward this year with the addition of edge rusher Brian Burns. The front has a lot of talent as Burns joins a unit that already included Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, but the back end will have to hold up if the Giants are to make the strides they need, and Pinnock's presence will be key to that effort.
