Giants lose rookie safety Dane Belton, sign seven-year veteran Jarrod Wilson
Giants safety Dane Belton watches practice with his left arm in a sling during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Aug. 1, 2022. Credit: Brad Penner
The Giants lost a rookie safety to injury but added a veteran.
Fourth-round pick Dane Belton was carving out an early role for himself in the starting defense but suffered a fractured left collarbone in Saturday’s practice and will be sidelined for at least the remainder of the preseason. He watched practice on Monday with his arm in a sling.
The Giants have not ruled out the possibility of his return for the start of the regular season, but he’ll more than likely miss time before seeing his first NFL snaps in the fall.
In the meantime, the team added depth at the position by signing seven-year veteran Jarrod Wilson.
Wilson, who played five years with the Jaguars and was most recently with the Jets and 49ers in 2021, was added when Jarren Williams was waived/injured with a hamstring injury. Williams was a cornerback last year who was transitioning to safety.
Xavier McKinney and Julian Love remain the starters at safety with depth that includes Andrew Adams, who was signed last week, and undrafted rookie Yusuf Corker. Cornerback Gavin Heslop played safety last year with the Seahawks but remained at his natural position Monday.
Notes & quotes: C Jon Feliciano has missed three practices after requiring medical attention from the heat and lack of hydration last week, but it has allowed the Giants to tinker with moving guard Shane Lemieux to center on occasion. Coach Brian Daboll said Lemieux had a “good start” at snapping the ball, which he first did on Saturday, but said it is mostly for positional flexibility at this point and not a long-term change that the Giants are looking to make. Daboll said Feliciano should be back on the field “in a day or two” . . . Monday was the first fully padded practice of camp. There was an emphasis on the running game in team drills.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
