Dane Belton immediately turned Jets-Buccaneers joint practices into a personal launchpad

Arguably, the greatest feat that New York Jets safety Dane Belton has accomplished this summer is taking the attention away from rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Indeed, the Klubnik Hype Train is temporarily stationed, partly because the fourth-round pick has had an inconsistent training camp. Buzz has quickly mounted about Belton, the fifth-year defensive back who played his first four seasons with the Giants.

And if there were any doubts about Belton continuing his stellar camp into a preseason game week, he wasted no time making the skeptics look silly. Those at Tuesday’s Jets-Buccaneers joint practice, including The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, raved about the veteran safety.

Not long after Belton broke up a pass on Tuesday morning, Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka beat Jets safety Andre Cisco for a touchdown.

“​​Dane Belton is quite clearly the Jets’ best option for No. 2 safety,” Rosenblatt wrote on X/Twitter. “He’s been all over the field making plays today.”

Did the New York Jets find a hidden gem in Dane Belton?

As argued previously, Jets fans should have turned their attention to Belton once they saw the on-site media repeatedly posting about his positive plays. The advent of social media has made it incredibly easy to follow any and all news about a breakout candidate.

It’s why Adonai Mitchell’s rise to a starting receiver role shouldn’t have surprised anyone who followed the Jets this offseason. 

By no means is Belton unproven or inexperienced. The 2022 fourth-round pick recorded 120 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and three forced fumbles over 17 games and nine starts for the Giants last year. 

Given their lengthy interception drought, you’ll understand exactly why the Jets pounced on a defensive back responsible for forcing 10 turnovers and recovering four fumbles in four seasons.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn announced that the starters will play against the Buccaneers on Friday night, and it’s unclear what that means for Belton’s workload. He’s ideally done enough to warrant extended snaps with the starting defense for however long they’re on the field.

From there, Glenn and the Jets must decide if giving extended snaps to Belton is worth the risk of injury. But at that point, Glenn may as well keep everyone guaranteed or expected to make the Week 1 roster in bubble wrap until Labor Day. Injuries happen in the preseason just as they happen during OTAs, training camp, or the offseason.

For his part, though, Glenn sounds like he’s firmly embraced his new membership in the Dane Belton Fan Club.

“He’s a ball magnet,” Glenn told reporters, and he certainly isn’t wrong. 

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