Dane Belton - Player, jets Event: Live Interview | Date: 2026-08-18 | Full transcript (primary source).
Dane Belton spoke at a press conference for the Jets on August 18, 2026, addressing his recent move and experiences as a player adjusting to the NFL. The event provided an opportunity for him to share insights on the transition from college football to the professional level and his excitement about the new chapter in his career.
Transcript
Belton: I did move. I like to be really close to the facility. So I moved a little bit, but yeah, a good area and I love it over here.
Belton: It's crazy, you know, you never know what to experience. It's, everyone equates it to, you know, in high school recruiting, but it's a lot different. It's very, you know, compact, you know, you have a couple of days, you get a lot of calls talking to agents. So it was a, it was awesome. Honestly, just being able to, you know, choose the best option for you and having that change is, it was fun.
Belton: Transition is big, you know, you're trying to lean on a lot of vets, you know, it's a different game, you know, they always say it's a copycat league in the league, you know, different teams are running the same thing, trying to beat you the same way versus in college. It's like every week it's completely different. So, you know, you're leaning on vets trying to understand the game that's different, you know, get acclimated. And it's been fun though. Every year I feel like I picked up on something new and being able to add that to my game has been big.
Belton: I just felt like it was the best opportunity, you know, a lot of offers coming out of high school. But, you know, from my biggest goal was to get to this point, you know, get to the NFL, you know, it's been a childhood dream. So the way the coaching stability won there, and the way they develop players, you know, they take walk-ons and turn them into NFL players. So I feel like with my skill set, the way I, you know, adapt to the game and just getting that knowledge from the coaches they have was, you know, the biggest part for me to see where I could be at.
Belton: Yeah, it's been awesome. You know, coming at getting added to a team that was the number one special teams unit in the league the year before is, you know, it's awesome, you know, feeding off those guys and what they've done already and just kind of adding what I do on top of that, you know, it's been awesome. Banjo is a great coach, is a young guy, relates well. I mean, his last year was my rookie year. So being just not far removed from the game, it's been awesome to play alongside.
Belton: You know, I feel like I've grown tremendously. You know, I had an interview maybe a week ago and I said, you know, just each year I've added things to my game. And, you know, I feel like, you know, last year, just being able to take advantage of every opportunity that I get, you know, wherever that's at, you know, defense, safety, nickel, anything in the box deep, you know, special teams like we just talked about, you know, it's all about, you know, what you're doing and how can I, you know, help the team win.
Belton: It's just it comes down to the love of the game. This is the game I played as a kid, we talked about why I went to Iowa and just my goal to be at this spot, you know, this has been my dream all along. So, you know, being able to be versatile, however, however I can get on the field is how I can play the game, you know, play the game I love.
Belton: I feel like it starts with one two. I mean, I feel like in this game, like I said, like, you got to love the game, you got to be able to want to do the dirty stuff, want to do the physical things. And that's, that's the way the game should be played. It was meant to be a physical game.
Belton: Absolutely. You got to be physical, you know, to tackle well. And I would say another thing that is being lost, you know, with the rules and things changing in practice is not being able to, you know, work on tackling and we're not like, we're still hitting, but like, you know, it's being dialed down. And I feel like it's something you really have to work on, you know, we don't, especially during the season, we're not getting that time to really work on the techniques and fundamentals of tackling and being able to put body on body.
Belton: I've learned so much and it's not just that safety too. It's just like we talked about a different position as him being at nickel, being in the box, being deep, you know, playing man, playing zone. It's just so much you can, you know, pick the brain of a guy like that. Like you said, one of the most accomplished guys in the league and just being on the team with him, just being sitting right behind him in film room, just being able to talk to him, ask him questions on how he sees this, how he would play this. And it's been great.
Belton: In this league, the quarterbacks are good. I mean, they get paid for a reason and they're really good. So anytime you can change the picture on them with us, pre post snap is going to help the defense. You know, if you just line up and show them what they're in, they're going to pick you apart. They're good at that. That's what they get paid to do.
Belton: You know, some of it, you know, AG is going to call and he wants to show a certain look. And some of it's just, you know, us being football players. And like you said, talking to Minka, understanding how far we can go to disguise something to get the picture changed. So, you know, it's all a feel kind of thing, you know, definitely want to do as much as you can to change that picture.
Belton: Yeah, you know, the first game was fun, you know, being on a new team and same stadium, but a different locker room was fun with these guys. And it was good, you know, seeing the guys ball, you know, it's always fun to watch, you know, guys make plays. So it was fun to get it out in the game atmosphere and going into Pittsburgh. You just want to continue to fly around, make plays, get our hands on the football first and foremost is what we want to see for sure.
Belton: Turnovers are great. So we would like to return that. But, you know, it was awesome to see AZ get a pick and the defense was flying around today. So it's fun to see.
Belton: Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.