Who Should I Start? Dane Belton or Trent McDuffie

Thursday, July 3, 12:16 PM

New York Giants safety Dane Belton was making plays seemingly every practice this spring and had three interceptions in the five workouts open to the media. ESPN's Jordan Raanan writes that the former fourth-rounder in 2022 will have a role as the third safety this year, even if he's not a starter. It appeared as though Belton was going to be an afterthought after the team signed Jevon Holland earlier this offseason, but that just hasn't been the case. "He has been really good for us here early. Like he's had a really good spring," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. "[We're] finding ways to get him on the field, what he can do for us to help us." The 24-year-old defensive back showed some progress in his third year in the league in 2024, finishing with 56 tackles (28 solo), one sack, one interception, six pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 17 games (six starts).

Tuesday, April 29, 1:14 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs plan to pick up the fifth-year option of cornerback Trent McDuffie and pass-rusher George Karlaftis for the 2026 season, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. McDuffie, who was the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Washington, was a first-time All-Pro in his second year in 2023 and had 59 tackles (45 solo), half a sack, six tackles for loss, his first two career interceptions, 13 pass breakups and a forced fumble in 16 regular-season starts for the Chiefs in 2024. The 24-year-old has started all 43 games that he's appeared in since entering the league in 2022 and will continue to be a staple for KC's secondary. Karlaftis, the 30th overall pick in 2022 out of Purdue, has 24.5 sacks in his three seasons, with his best year coming in 2023, when he had 10.5 sacks in 16 starts. The 24-year-old added four sacks in the team's three playoff games this past season.