NY Jets film session: Will Dane Belton win a starting safety job?

One of the New York Jets’ starting safety spots is locked in. Minkah Fitzpatrick will be trusted to play an every-down role as he seeks his sixth career Pro Bowl appearance.

Who starts opposite Fitzpatrick, though, remains to be seen.

It’s going to be a three-horse race in the summer. Malachi Moore, a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft, showed promise in his rookie year. Andre Cisco is back on a one-year, $5 million deal. Cisco started for the Jets to begin 2025, but struggled before suffering an injury. His salary, however, indicates that New York still views him as a possible starter.

The third contender is former New York Giants safety Dane Belton, who joined the team on a one-year, $4 million contract in free agency.

A fourth-round choice out of Iowa in 2022, Belton played in 66 games with 22 starts across four seasons for the Giants. He never quite emerged as an every-down player, but Belton slowly carved out a bigger role for Big Blue, peaking at a career-high 63% of the defensive snaps in 2025. He was also a standout on special teams.

Belton showed a nose for the ball, which is something the Jets badly need. He had six interceptions, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries despite his limited number of starts.

Will the takeaways be enough for Belton to win a starting spot next to Fitzpatrick? What are the holes in his game that prevented him from becoming a full-time starter? What is his ideal safety role: deep or in the box?

The film can help us answer those questions.

In the latest edition of Blewett’s Blitz, we learn everything there is to know about Belton’s game in a full-fledged breakdown of his All-22 film.

Below is the full Dane Belton film review and scouting report (strengths and weaknesses).