Daniel Jones

New York Giants shutting down QB Daniel Jones for the season

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants are shutting down starting quarterback Daniel Jones for the remainder of the 2021 season, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN. Daniel Jones has missed the last three games with a neck injury he suffered in the Giants’ Week 12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants are optimistic that this injury will not affect Jones’s long-term future.

At 4-10, the New York Giants’ season is all but over. They are out of the playoff race and ready to look ahead to the offseason. There is no point in Daniel Jones returning to play this season with nothing left to compete toward. The Giants officially placed Daniel Jones on the reserve/injured list, ending his third season in the NFL prematurely.

Statement from the Giants’ medical staff:

“Over the course of the past few weeks, Daniel has been examined by Dr. Frank Cammisa of Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Robert Watkins of the Marina Spine Center at Marina Del Rey Hospital. Our medical team has continued to consult with Dr. Cammisa and Dr. Watkins regarding Daniel’s condition and symptoms, and at this point, Daniel has not been cleared for contact. We felt the prudent decision was to place Daniel on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. With continued rest and treatment, we expect a full recovery.” – Senior Vice President, Medical Services/Head Athletic Trainer Ronnie Barnes via Giants.com

What this means for the Giants going forward

The New York Giants have made this decision to preserve the future of Daniel Jones’s career. The Giants hold two first-round picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft but are unlikely to spend a first-round pick on a quarterback. Daniel Jones is probably going to be the Giants’ starting quarterback next season.

Giving Daniel Jones a head start on the offseason should provide him with ample time to recover and prepare for next season. For the remainder of the year, the Giants will continue to start backup quarterback Mike Glennon (unless he loses his job to Jake Fromm). Jake Fromm saw playing time at the end of the Giants’ loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.

There is a chance Jake Fromm takes over going forward. Joe Judge and the coaching staff will have discussions this week:

We got to a point in the game where I wanted to see what Jake could do, point blank. We weren’t doing enough moving the ball otherwise, so I wanted to make sure I had the chance to see Jake and that will obviously open up a conversation about what we’re going to do this week. We’ll talk about it as a staff and we’ll make the best decision for the team. – Head Coach Joe Judge

What this means for Daniel Jones

Ultimately, the 2021 season did not go as planned for Daniel Jones. This was meant to be his breakout third year. Instead, the Giants’ offense was a putrid mess (with or without Jones). Daniel Jones has missed starts with injuries in each of his first three seasons.

Daniel Jones’s final stats for the 2021 season:

  • 232/361 (64.3%), 2,428 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions
  • 62 carries, 298 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 7 fumbles

It seems like Daniel Jones will at least get one more year to prove himself as the franchise quarterback. But one must imagine that DJ is on thin ice after three unsuccessful years as the New York Giants’ starter.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones out, Sterling Shepard questionable going into Cowboys game

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sterling shepard, new york giants

When the New York Giants take on the Cowboys for the second time this year, they’ll have to dig deep and win with less talent than usual. That’s because some important players will be out for this game, including Daniel Jones and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.

The player that is the most important in all of this, of course, is Jones. Some reports have indicated that he’ll be shut down for the season, but we aren’t seeing that yet. Still, he hasn’t been cleared to return from his neck injury, and it looks at this point like more than a regular neck strain.

Mike Glennon is once again the starter for the Giants, who lack a fitting alternative.

Jones isn’t the only player out, though. The Giants will have cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Aaron Robinson missing, after they were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier in the week. Kadarius Toney was also placed on the list, giving the Giants one less weapon in the receiving game.

For some players, the verdict isn’t out yet but things aren’t looking great. Ben Bredeson, Austin Johnson, Leonard Williams, and Sterling Shepard were marked as questionable and participated in limited practice on Friday. Shepard made his return from an absence since week 8 when he played against the Chargers, but is now dealing with a calf injury following that game.

Saquon Barkley was also limited in practice, but it looks more likely than not that he’ll play. Barkley played in the past 4 games despite being listed with an injury, and hasn’t been placed on the ‘questionable’ section of the injury report.

All in all, it’s clear the Giants will need a well thought out game plan to remain competitive in this one. With the current injuries, talent alone isn’t enough.

New York Giants players expecting Daniel Jones to be shut down for season

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daniel jones, giants

Despite the negative feedback from his recent performances, it looks like the New York Giants are likely stuck with Mike Glennon for the rest of the year. That’s not because Glennon is the best option at QB, but because he’s the only experienced option the Giants have if Daniel Jones is shut down for the year. While there initially wasn’t much concern about Jones’ neck sprain, the injury has become the subject of more speculation as no return date has been placed on Jones yet.

The quarterback has also, perhaps more alarmingly, seen multiple specialists at this point for second opinions. In other words, this isn’t the kind of quick injury that will resolve itself through sitting out a couple games.

According to sources who spoke to the New York Post, the Giants players themselves believe Jones will end up shut down this year.

The results of those tests and Jones’ exact diagnosis remain unknown, but many Giants players expect that their quarterback eventually will be shut down for the rest of the season, sources told The Post. Jones likely missing a third straight game was first reported by The Athletic.

The rest of the season, fortunately, isn’t long. The Giants only have four games left at this point, guaranteeing that we won’t have to see much more of them without Jones regardless of what happens.

Looking ahead to if Jones is shut down

If Jones is shut down for the year, it brings up some interesting prospects for the Giants come the offseason. Mainly, it will intensify the current debate about acquiring a new quarterback. Whether it’s because Jones isn’t the franchise player in the long term or because more depth is simply needed, it’s looking harder for the Giants to not address the position next year.

After all, Jones has missed games for injury related reasons in all of his NFL seasons so far. And, especially if the offensive line doesn’t take a big step up, the organization shouldn’t expect that to just change next year. Picking up a quarterback in the draft, likely after the first round, may be on the table even if the Giants intend to keep Jones as the starter.

Of course, spending a second or third round pick acquiring a backup QB, or one to give Jones competition going into his fourth season, would be a controversial move. Before Jones, the Giants didn’t have the best record drafting quarterbacks to sit behind Eli Manning. Davis Webb and Kyle Lauletta come to mind as players drafted for this reason who never ended up doing something meaningful with the team.

Still, despite this track record, we’ve seen from this season that having Mike Glennon waiting in the wings isn’t enough. But what the Giants will do to resolve that may depend on who is selected as the next GM in 2022.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones to head for more neck tests on Monday

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants have clinched their fifth straight losing season, but they may have a larger problem on their hands than just the rest of this season. That problem is at the quarterback position, as the neck injury that Daniel Jones is suffering from is unlikely to be resolved soon. Following the team’s loss to the Chargers, Jordan Raanan reported that Jones is headed to see Dr. Frank Cammisa for further tests on his neck.

At this point, we can’t make a judgement on the state of Jones’ health. The team hasn’t announced those details yet, and we can see from the fact that Jones is headed in for further tests that even the team is likely missing some answers.

But the fact that we haven’t heard a positive update yet isn’t encouraging.

At this point, with the Giants guaranteed to have a losing season, we’ll probably see Jones shut down for the year. Neck injuries, after all, can be a larger deal than they sound on paper. Giants fans might remember that David Wilson’s career ended due to a neck injury. Even if Jones isn’t at that point yet, there’s no sign that this one will have a quick and easy recovery.

Larger problems for the New York Giants

If Jones has to rehab from a major neck injury, that presents a problem for the Giants. Confidence was shaky in Jones already headed into this season, after all. It’s safe to say that no one wants to see the Giants go through the same ups and downs at quarterback next season, but this time with a QB that is coming off a major injury.

With that being said, the injury situation does highlight larger problems that are already present in the organization.

Jones would have had a far lower chance at getting injured in the first place if he’d been properly protected this season. That didn’t happen largely due to the way the roster was constructed, leaving the Giants with little depth on the O-line and one of the worst lines in the league following early season injuries.

It’s hard to argue Jones has played behind a good line at any point in his career, and his current injury and him potentially being shut down for the season are two things that Dave Gettleman should definitely be held accountable for following this season.

New York Giants worried about “structural damage” in Daniel Jones’ neck

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

In the latest negative saga for the New York Giants, there’s no clear date when Daniel Jones will be able to play again. Jones was dealt a strained neck in the victory against the Eagles, and after one game of Mike Glennon at quarterback, we know that the injury is maybe worse than initially thought. According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Jones had his neck further examined on Monday and there is now a concern about structural damage.

Jones had his neck checked out in Los Angeles on Monday, traveling with Ronnie Barnes, the Giants’ senior vice president of medical services, to see neck specialist Dr. Robert Watkins. The concern is that if Jones plays, he could do further damage to the neck, which suffered some structural damage in the win over the Eagles in Week 12.

While head coach Joe Judge hasn’t indicated that Jones will be out for the season, this does leave the Giants in a bad position for the foreseeable future. Whether you like Daniel Jones or not, it’s simply facts that the team doesn’t have another capable starter right now. And Mike Glennon, who took over last week, picked up a concussion against Miami and isn’t a lock to play against the Chargers on Sunday.

Even if Jones isn’t ruled out for the season, it’s hard to project him coming back soon. At this point in the year, the team is already out of the running for the division and much of the focus has already shifted to the draft. It seems unlikely that the staff will risk Jones by placing him back on the field too soon given the current circumstances and the injury.

A longer-term view of the situation

This season, the narrative was that the Giants would make a decision on Daniel Jones in one way or the other. But it’s been hard to make a verdict like that based on what we’ve seen so far. Much of that has to do with injuries, as the Giants have a very different O-line than expected and have frequently had injuries take skill position players off the field.

If Jones himself ends the season on the note of an injury, he will have finished the year with 10 touchdowns compared to 7 interceptions. His performance this season has been inconsistent and isn’t enough as it stands to solidify his position as the franchise QB going forward. With that being said, the injury situation complicates things more if it does result in Jones missing a large amount or all of the remaining season.

Just like the injuries to the offensive line and skill positions, it’s another outcome that throws a wrench into the plan to make a decision this year. But as the Giants likely head into the offseason looking for a new GM, it’s uncertain how much more time Jones will get to prove himself even if the results are inconclusive from this season.

All in all, it’s not a good spot for the team to be in if this neck injury keeps Jones out for more than a few weeks.

New York Giants: Russell Wilson puts NYG on his shortlist

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Will the New York Giants pursue a potential trade for Russell Wilson?

The New York Giants have been brought up in one of the NFL’s most exciting trade rumors of the year this week. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson could be on his way out of Seattle. The Seahawks legend is mulling a trade request and has put together a shortlist of teams for which he would waive his no-trade clause. The New York Giants happen to be on that short-list.

According to NBC Sports, Russell Wilson would consider waiving his no-trade clause for three teams: the Denver Broncos, the New Orleans Saints, and the New York Giants. ESPN insider Adam Schefter also stated that he believes Wilson would waive his no-trade clause for the Philadelphia Eagles.

This is a different list than the one Adam Schefter reported on Russell Wilson’s behalf back in February. At the beginning of this year, Russell Wilson’s shortlist included the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, and Bears. The Cowboys and Bears can be removed from this list with Dak Prescott back under center for Dallas and Justin Fields taking the reigns in Chicago.

With this new trade rumor development, a question begs to be answered: should the Giants entertain a trade for Russell Wilson?

Should the Giants try to trade for Russell Wilson?

The New York Giants are at a new, giant crossroads. At 4-8, the Giants’ season is practically over. Fans are now looking ahead to the offseason, which should be an exciting one for New York. The Giants hold two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and are likely to bring in a new general manager. But could these draft picks be shipped away in exchange for Russell Wilson?

Daniel Jones has failed to win the fans over and prove to the coaches that he is a franchise quarterback. With this in mind, New York could be a landing spot for Russell Wilson. However, the possibility becomes far less likely once the Giants’ salary cap situation is evaluated.

Simply put, the Giants have a horrible salary cap situation ahead of them in 2022. As bad as some fans might want them to trade for Russell Wilson, they need to realize that it will be nearly impossible for the Giants to make that happen.

Russell Wilson is 33-years old and probably has another half-decade of football left in him. Before his thumb injury this season, Russell Wilson was playing at an All-Pro level completing 90-125 (72%) passes for 1,196 yds, 10 touchdowns 1 interception, with a 125.3 rating. Trading for the seven-time Pro Bowl signal-caller would transform the Giants overnight and make them playoff contenders. But their lack of money would cause the Giants to fail to build a decent offensive line and competent roster around Russell Wilson, likely wasting the last years of his career.

One of Russell Wilson’s chief complaints about the Seattle Seahawks is their offensive line. The Giants have arguably the worst offensive line in football. It is unlikely that issue would be resolved if the Giants had to give up one or both of their first-round draft picks to acquire Russell Wilson. Even though fans would love to see this dream come true, it is unlikely, pipe dream that the New York Giants simply cannot afford to make.

New York Giants quarterback room in shambles ahead of Week 14

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants lost miserably on Sunday versus the Miami Dolphins. The Giants’ offense failed to score a touchdown in the 20-6 Week 13 loss. New York marched into Miami with Mike Glennon as the starting quarterback. Daniel Jones was out with a neck strain that is expected to keep him out of the Giants’ upcoming Week 14 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, too.

To make matters worse, Mike Glennon suffered a concussion in the Giants’ loss to the Dolphins. Injuries and inexperience are now piling up for the Giants at the sport’s most valuable position, leaving their quarterback room in shambles.

The New York Giants quarterback room is in shambles

Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon being injured leaves the Giants with extremely limited options at the quarterback position. The 4-8 Giants are down to backups, practice squad players, and newly-signed players in line to start. Even the Giants’ quarterback coach, Jerry Schuplinski, is dealing with an ailment (COVID-19). This group of signal-callers is in disarray. Here’s a breakdown of the quarterback room:

  • Daniel Jones (neck strain, not cleared for contact)
  • Mike Glennon (in concussion protocol)
  • Jake Fromm (just signed last week)
  • Brian Lewerke (practice squad)
  • QB coach Jerry Schuplinski (COVID-19 positive)

With Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon both expected to be out on Sunday, Jake Fromm is in line to start for the Giants. The Giants just signed Fromm off of the Buffalo Bills practice squad a few days ago. But now the young quarterback has gone from the practice squad to being expected to start in a rapid amount of time.

If Fromm is not ready to go, which would not be surprising considering how long it takes to learn NFL playbooks, then Brian Lewerke would be the next man up. Lewerke has spent the season on New York’s practice squad after playing in the preseason for the Giants and looking less than promising.

If indeed Jones and Glennon are out, the most experienced regular season passer on the Giants’ roster would be Kadarius Toney. New York’s first-round pick has thrown three passes this season, giving him the highest career total of the remaining quarterbacks on the roster.

When the most experienced passer on a team is the wide receiver, you know that roster is in bad shape. The Giants will prepare this week with the thought that Jake Fromm takes the start under center. But regardless of who starts on Sunday, it is a longshot that the Giants’ offense takes any steps forward from where they have been,.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones still playing conservative despite OC change

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants earned a clutch victory over the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. The Giants improved to a 4-7 record with the 13-7 win at home against their division rivals. This was the Giants’ first game of the season without Jason Garrett, as they fired the offensive coordinator earlier that week. Freddie Kitchens assumed play-calling duties for the Giants, calling a winning game with Daniel Jones under center.

New York has been extremely conservative on offense this season. The expectation was that Freddie Kitchens would push the Giants’ offense downfield with more vertical passing concepts. However, that expectation did not become reality on Sunday, despite the Giants’ win.

Daniel Jones conservative on Sunday

Sunday’s victory against Philadelphia was huge. This big win kept the Giants in the playoff race. But it was not the offense that propelled the Giants to victory. No, there were no explosive, downfield passing plays that gave the Giants a competitive advantage. It was very much the defense that propelled New York to victory.

Daniel Jones has not thrown the ball downfield much this season. Entering this week’s game, Daniel Jones had attempted 331 passes so far this season. Only 23 of those passes had traveled 20+ yards downfield. That is only 6.9% of Jones’s attempts, ranking 36th in the NFL. Comparatively, 13% of Jones’s passes had been thrown targeted behind the line of scrimmage. The Giants are throwing the ball backwards more often than they are throwing the ball deep.

That trend continued this weekend. Daniel Jones attempted 30 passes against the Eagles on Sunday. Only 1 of those passes traveled 20+ yards downfield. Six of his attempts (20%) were thrown behind the lines of scrimmage.

So, despite the change at offensive coordinator, the Giants are still dealing with the same struggles. They scored only 13 points on Sunday and almost never threw the ball downfield. As great as New York’s defense is, it will never be enough to take them deep in the playoff without getting some help from the team’s offense. The New York Giants need to start getting more aggressive on offense.

Predicting the future of the Giants after being embarrassed on National Television

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New York Giants, Joe Judge

The New York Giants were embarrassed on national television on Monday evening against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, further plummeting an organization that is gasping for air after years of incompetence.

With management failing to find the right front office executives to put the team in the right direction, the Giants now face another harsh reality, the firing of their general manager and several coaches to try and right a ship that has capsized continuously the past few seasons. The team now sits at a measly 3–7 on the year, coming off a 30–10 loss to Tampa.

With two weeks to prepare for this matchup, the Giants seemed as if they didn’t even have a plan, failing to execute in every stage of the game and giving the Buccaneers arguably their easiest win of the season. Offensively, quarterback Daniel Jones threw for just 167 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. One mind-blowing statistic is that left tackle Andrew Thomas has more touchdown catches than Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney combined this season. Golladay signed a four-year, $72 million deal with Big Blue, and Toney was drafted 20th overall to provide elite play-making abilities.

Since the beginning of the 2020 season, the Giants rank dead last in touchdowns, with 42 total. Coordinator Jason Garrett has failed miserably to develop a scheme capable of sustaining efficiency.

However, the failure to build and construct an adequate team has also raised many red flags, likely spelling the end of Dave Gettleman’s tenure with the Giants.

The future of the team is incredibly murky, but if wholesale changes aren’t made in the near future, fans may begin to avoid the team like the plague.

Predicting the future for the New York Giants:

1.) Transition play-calling duties to Freddie Kitchens

First things first, the Giants need to make a change on offense, and it starts with shifting playcalling duties to senior offensive assistant Freddie Kitchens. Kitchens has experience in the past with the Cleveland Browns as their head coach, developing Baker Mayfield.

Kitchens may not be the forward-thinking offensive mind the Giants need, but they simply need something different on offense to work with, as they can no longer allow Garrett to hold back the team with his porous playcalling and terrible strategies. The lack of execution and basic fundamentals the offense displays has to fall on somebody’s lap, and Garrett is the top man in charge of leading the unit, so this seems like the most probable result of his deficiencies.

2.) Allow Dave Gettleman to retire peacefully at season’s end

The Giants try to maintain their loyalty and class despite awful play and losing seasons. Given that fact, owner John Mara will likely give Dave Gettleman the proper exit, allowing him to retire peacefully at seasons and without making a message transition.

Considering the Giants can’t begin looking at new general manager prospects until after the season anyway, firing Gettleman prematurely may cause more havoc within the organization. I would like to see Gettleman fired as much as the next fan, but this is the most likely course of action for upper management.

3.) Allow Jason Garrett’s contract to expire, he leaves without any drama

The Giants brought on Garrett for two seasons to help develop Daniel Jones and curate a successful offensive unit. His failure has dragged the Giants to the bottom of the NFL, arguably worse than the 0-9 Lions.

If not for stellar defensive play at times, the Giants would be staring the potential No. 1 pick in the face, but it is possible they are in the top five for the second time in four years.

At this point, Big Blue needs to consider bringing in a young mind that can put together an offense capable of putting up more than 20 points per game. There’s no faith left in Garrett, and even head coach Joe Judge was willing to fire a bit of blame his way after the defeat to Tampa.

4.) Hunt for a new GM and OC

Once the season ends, expect the Giants to begin a diligent search for a new offensive coordinator and general manager. There’s no guarantee Judge will remain with the team after this year, but finding a new GM will be a priority. Many claim they want ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, and while he will likely be a prospect, his outward love for Dwayne Haskins and hate for Andrew Thomas bubbles the surface when considering him.

There will be a few solid options available, and given the Giants have two first-round picks, the job could have some attractiveness. Nonetheless, they are cash-strapped and still have to make a decision on Daniel Jones moving forward, but with the right coaching staff, they could see the best of DJ. However, at this point, the 3rd-year QB is shell-shocked as a result of bad offensive line play, and there’s a chance he may never recover.

New York Giants offense should get a full force of weapons back on Monday

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kadarius toney, giants

The New York Giants have a crucial Monday night matchup coming up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 3-6 Giants are beginning to turn their season around after a painfully slow start to kick off the year. Miscues, poor execution, and an abundance of injuries have held the Giants back this season. Thankfully, entering this primetime Week 11 matchup, the Giants’ offense is set to get a full force of weapons back in the lineup.

Players returning to the lineup

Wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney were NOT LISTED on today’s injury report. This is significant because these two have been appearing on the injured list consistently this season. Golladay missed time with a knee injury. Toney missed a game with an ankle injury and also dealt with a thumb injury. Entering Week 11, both of these playmakers are healthy and ready to go for the Giants. The Giants’ passing attack is receiving a couple of huge boosts.

The New York Giants’ biggest and most explosive playmaker might make his return to the lineup on Monday night. Yes, Saquon Barkley, looks set to return. Barkley has been OUT since Week 5 after suffering an ankle injury versus the Cowboys. But he is now listed as QUESTIONABLE for Monday night and there seems to be a strong possibility he will be good to go.

Andrew Thomas is not listed on the injury report because of his injured reserve designation. However, there seems to be a real chance that the second-year left tackle gets back in the lineup on Monday. Thomas would likely be listed as questionable if he could be placed on the injury report. Andrew Thomas was placed on injured reserve after Week 6 with a leg injury. The Giants have absolutely felt Andrew’s absence and are eager to get him back in the lineup. According to reporters, Andrew Thomas is indeed trending toward playing on Monday night.

While he has not missed a game due to injury, running back Devontae Booker is hobbled and placed on the injury list. Booker suffered a hip injury in the Giants’ Week 9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite being injured, Booker totaled 99 rushing yards and propelled the Giants’ offense to victory. Coming off the bye week, Booker is listed as QUESTIONABLE with this hip injury. Booker and Barkley are both questionable to play, but both seem destined to see the field in some capacity this week.

Who will miss Monday night?

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard has already been ruled OUT for Monday night with a quad injury. Shepard’s season was off to a fiery hot start before it was derailed by injuries. Shep suffered this quad injury in Week 8 and has been sidelined ever since. The Giants have not placed the receiver on injured reserve, so they must be hopeful that Sterling can make a return soon. However, Sterling Shepard will not return this week to play the Buccaneers.