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Jason Pinnock won’t be limited to salivating on the sideline this weekend if Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson falls in love with all-out blitzes again.
Pinnock is expected to start at safety Sunday against the Saints — and blitz-susceptible quarterback Tyler Shough — as his return from the concussion protocol coincides with Tyler Nubin’s absence due to a neck injury.
“I’ve been waiting since I heard this [defensive] system was coming back,” Pinnock, who had 6.5 sacks with the 2022-24 Giants, told The Post. “Trust me, I’ve been ready for it. Dennard knows my strengths. Y’all will see it.”
In the bigger picture, Pinnock can lay claim to a starting job Sunday with a strong performance.
“We’re both competitors: Nubin wants to start, I want to start,” Pinnock said. “I’m blessed to be in a position with a guy that we both just get each other to work our asses off and get each other to try to be perfect.”
Nubin won the job during training camp but a repeat problem from early in his career — one misstep moving forward that allows a run to leak out and become an explosive gain — has reared its head in recent games.
It led to Nubin, who worked to address his recovery speed in offseason training, getting pulled for Pinnock in Weeks 3 and 4.
In Week 5, Pinnock was unavailable, so Nubin stayed in the game despite another mistake on a 33-yard touchdown run until he was injured in a collision and replaced by Ar’Darius Washington.
“It’s angles,” defensive backs coach Donald D’Alessio said recently. “Your initial footwork and no wasted steps and footwork. [Nubin] has been in position and made a bunch of tackles.”
When Nubin and Pinnock both are healthy, the Giants could try a rotation, D’Alessio said. He sees options as a “good problem to have.”
Pinnock was Nubin’s mentor in 2024 before his one-season stopover with the 49ers.
“I’m just looking to, when I get my opportunity, play great ball and play free,” Pinnock said. “It’s humbling for both of us, but I think they are getting the best out of both of us, in a sense. Obviously, at some point, we’re both alphas, so hopefully something will shake out. I think the biggest thing is to bring some continuity to the defense.”
Head coach John Harbaugh already has shown a willingness to make bold in-season changes. He benched center John Michael Schmitz — a second-round draft pick of general manager Joe Schoen, just like Nubin — for Bryan Hudson.
What’s his rule for knowing when to bench a player versus sticking with him in hard times?
“It’s case-by-case,” Harbaugh said. “It depends on your options. Some things are more up in the air at positions and some things are more established. Sometimes the door opens for different reasons. Sometimes it’s injury, sometimes it’s performance. Those are the two main things. And when that happens, you can bet there’s someone chomping at the bit ready to take advantage of that opportunity and make their mark.”