Jason Pinnock eager to continue his strong preseason for the Giants
Jason Pinnock #27 of the New York Giants celebrates with Deonte Banks #36 after intercepting a pass in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on August 11, 2023 in Detroit. Credit: Getty Images/Mike Mulholland
You’d be hard-pressed these days to find a player having a better training camp than Jason Pinnock.
And Pinnock knows it.
But rather than allow any form of complacency to set in, Pinnock has chosen the opposite route.
As the Giants safety told Newsday, he’s at least as driven as ever.
“Sometimes, people get labeled as a flash player,” Pinnock said. “It’s better, as you continue to have those opportunities, to show that you’re consistent.”
Well, Pinnock has been consistently exceptional lately.
As the Giants' preseason continues Friday night, with a home game against the Carolina Panthers, Pinnock relishes any chance to show how far he has come. That the Jets made Pinnock a surprise cut in the summer of 2022 may have helped to fuel his competitive fire.
Whatever the case, the 6-foot, 24-year-old Pinnock, now in his third NFL season, agrees that he is playing the best football of his career.
“I would definitely say that because of my comfortability now at the safety position,” the former cornerback said. “This is definitely my best safety play in my career.”
No kidding.
That was on display in last week’s preseason opener against the Lions.
At Ford Field, the Jason Pinnock Show included making an interception on quarterback Nate Sudfeld’s first pass of the game and returning it 18 yards to set up a field goal. A tackle of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs for a loss of 3 yards. And a stop on fourth down when Pinnock deflected a pass.
“He’s explosive,’’ Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “He was a good addition to our team last year. He played a bunch of special teams, but I think he’s done a good job here in camp. He made the most of his opportunity in the short number of plays. He’s done a nice job for us.”
Pinnock said he was only slated for 15 plays in that game, so he knew he had to make an early impact.
As it turned out, Pinnock managed all of that destruction in Detroit in just five snaps. He spent the rest of the game on the sideline.
That’s how you impress a coaching staff.
“We got him out, gave some other guys some opportunities,” Daboll said. “But pretty productive day for a short amount of time.”
Pinnock said his goal is to “continually show” his ability as a playmaker.
Initially, Pinnock balked at the move to safety.
“But that was just my pride talking to me,” he said.
Over time, Pinnock has come to believe that he’s better at safety than he was at cornerback.
“This defense specifically, definitely fits me,” he said. “Wink [Martindale] is the best in the country. Obviously, I’ve only been on two [teams] but this league is a fraternity. We all talk.”
Pinnock is one of many Giants defensive players who appreciates that Martindale always levels with players on where they stand. These days, he’s in a particularly good spot when it comes to securing a starting safety position alongside Xavier McKinney.
“You have to give credit to our coaches,” Pinnock said. “Winning is the ultimate goal. Sometimes at some places that vision can get [clouded] a little bit. It becomes individual goals. But in this league, when you win, everybody wins. And our coaches do a great job of showing us that.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
