NY Giants Defender Has Been at Pro Bowl Level on Special Teams

Safety Dane Belton has been leading the Giants' special teams with what his coach has labeled a "Pro Bowl" type of performance this season.

New York Giants safety Dane Belton | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Giants special teams unit as a whole has been enjoying one of its finest seasons in quite some time, and a big reason for that has been the play of guys like safety Dane Belton.

Belton, now in his fourth NFL season, has found his calling as a core special teams member. He currently leads the NFL with 12 special teams tackles (five solo efforts and seven assists), his solo tackles tying him for third in the league in that category amongst several others. 

“Yeah, Dane is playing at a Pro Bowl level,” said Giants special teams coordinator Micahel Ghobrial. 

“You see all his study habits, all his hard work this offseason of improving the things that he needed to, show up on game day, and it's infectious. The guy has been playing really, really well for us.”

Belton is a part of both coverage teams and both return teams, something he has done since arriving in East Rutherford as a fourth-round draft pick out of Iowa in 2022. 

Through six games, he currently has a career-best 69.8 special teams rating from Pro Football Focus.

The Giants kickoff coverage team has held opponents to an average starting field position of -25.2, the best mark in the league. And the Giants’ average starting field position on kickoffs has been -31.7, the fourth-best mark in the league. 

Belton has also lent his consistent play to the defense, primarily as a sub player. He’s currently allowed a career low 61.5% of pass targets against him to be completed for just 86 yards in 116 coverage snaps. 

He also has two pass breakups and a career best 80.9 NFC coverage rating, having played a nearly equal amount of snaps as a box safety, free safety, and slot cornerback.

Belton's consistency on special teams has, according to Ghobrial, rubbed off on the rest of the participants. 

“Playing at that Pro Bowl level and that consistency to do it from a game in, game out basis ultimately elevates everybody else,” he said. “Really fired up for him the success that he's having.” 

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