Daniel Jones

Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley raves about Daniel Jones

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones, Saquno Barkley

The New York Giants have made it a priority to inject the roster with high-quality people, let alone players. When they drafted Saquon Barkley second overall in 2018, they saw generational talent that coupled with a fantastic human being. Upgrading the roster also meant elevating the locker room and the leadership that quietly makes an impact behind the scenes.

While Barkley has been rehabilitating from a torn ACL, MCL, and partially torn meniscus, his spirits have been as high as ever. He spoke with Rich Eisen this past week, avoiding questions of his return and timetable for recovery, but was quick to rave about one of his teammates, quarterback Daniel Jones.

“I really don’t want to speak for Daniel, but just knowing Daniel, it is what it is. He has an amazing work ethic,” Barkley said. “I think anyone in the facility can see that clear as day. He’s a guy that’s going to come into work and is a guy that’s going to lead you and is a guy that’s going to compete. So I think that’s his mindset, is come in and try to get one percent better every day and lead this team.”

Jones had a bumpy start to his NFL career, showcasing his arm talent with 24 touchdowns in his rookie season before dropping to 11 this past year with a lack of playmakers and a debilitating hamstring injury.

The Duke product is hoping to take a step forward in the upcoming season after the Giants spent an egregious amount of funds to acquire Kenny Golladay in free agency and drafted Kadarius Toney with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Jones’s future success entirely relies on his protection scheme in the trenches, and the Giants didn’t do much to upgrade the unit aside from hiring two new couches consultant Pat Flaherty and OL coach Rob Sale. The expectation is that their young players on the line will see an increase in efficiency, specifically in pass blocking. If that ends up being the case, Jones will reap the rewards, with more time in the pocket to spread the ball to his playmakers.

Of course, the return of Barkley will have an immediate impact, drawing more attention from defenders in the box and allowing Jones to operate without additional blitzers being sent his way. If there’s anything we can guarantee, it is that his work ethic has helped him improve in various categories, but until we see him apply his talents during live-action, it’s all just hearsay.

New York Giants: Michael Strahan impressed by Daniel Jones’ athleticism

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

It’s hard to see an interview with a former New York Giants player this offseason that doesn’t bring up the question of Daniel Jones. Of course, it’s understandable why. Jones might be the most important variable for the Giants this year when it comes to taking a step forward. The success, or failure, of the offense may rest largely on his shoulders.

More than there was last season, there’s a bit of an optimistic feeling about Jones from many of the figures that have been asked about him. That includes Hall of Fame pass rusher Michael Strahan, who confirmed his belief in Daniel Jones as “that guy” for the Giants in an interview with USA Today.

“You know what? I love Daniel. As a person, absolutely. I think he has the perfect temperament, perfect everything for the position as a Giant. Physically? I’ll be honest with you, what an incredible athlete,” Strahan said when asked whether Jones could be the guy for the Giants.

The compliment about Jones’ physique is impressive coming from a player that spent his career at one of the most physical positions in the game. It’s not the kind of remark that’s often associated with Giants quarterbacks – but that’s changed with Jones coming in during the past two seasons and adding another dimension to the offense with his mobility.

“I think he could be that guy. He is the guy. Now I think you’re giving him what he needs, and I think Jason Garrett is going to do the right job setting himself up in this system so he could be successful and lead the drive to a Super Bowl, which I’m hoping is very soon,” Strahan would continue.

Giving Daniel Jones what he needs

As Strahan pointed out, the Giants have made plenty of additions to help Jones this offseason. From Kenny Golladay to Kyle Rudolph, Jones will have a number of new options and the passing offense won’t look like it did last year.

However, an interesting thing to note is Strahan bringing up Jason Garrett. Garrett was much maligned this season but it’s possible that he isn’t being talked about enough this offseason. Most of the focus has gone on Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley for understandable reasons, but Garrett has a large role in whether those players succeed or fail.

For both players, a personal step forward might not matter that much if the Giants still run an uncreative offense and fail to take advantage of their full talent.

We’ll find out soon enough this season whether or not Garrett has adapted enough to avoid that pitfall, with his job potentially on the line right now. The Giants are trying their best to give Jones what he needs, but one thing that can’t be understated on that list of needs is better playcalling than last season.

New York Giants: How Saquon Barkley is going to make Daniel Jones better in 2021

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley

When the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley 2nd overall in the 2018 NFL draft, they expected him to be far more than just a running back. They anticipated him being a bonafide superstar, running the ball with prowess while also offering receiving skills out of the backfield. Let alone is qualities as a leader.

During his rookie season, Barkley lived up to expectations, amassing 2,028 yards from scrimmage, including 1,307 on the ground, 721 through the air, and 15 total touchdowns. However, over the last two seasons, Barkley has played in just 15 games and is currently rehabilitating from a torn ACL, MCL, and partially torn meniscus. The Giants are still extremely high on the 24-year-old Penn State product and believe he will elevate the offense this upcoming season after the injection of more wide receiver talent.

How will Barkley impact Daniel Jones, though, increasing his production and efficiency in the passing game?

Barkley brings one underrated factor to the offense, attention. Defenses are forced to allocate multiple eyes and players on Saquon, who can break to the second level and take the ball to the house at any given moment. With his breakaway speed and incredible strength at the point of attack, Barkley is considered one of the most dynamic runners in the NFL when healthy.

Last season, when the Giants faced off against the Cleveland Browns, Kareem Hunt demanding attention from Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan. In fact, multiple defensive plays were dismantled due to the attention Kareem commanded. When you have a singular player that has an influence on the game such as that, it opens up the field for the alternative playmakers, and the Giants have plenty of them after signing in Kenny Golladay to a four-year deal and drafting Kadarius Toney in the first round.

So how will Barkley help Jones elevate his game?

Well, he will force defensive linemen and linebackers to always have his whereabouts in mind, which will take blitzers out of the box and force linebackers to stay at the second level. In addition, strong safeties will have to mirror Barkley’s movements, following him into the flats and on legitimate routes in the secondary (similar to how Jabrill was forced to cover Hunt last season). This will open up the field for players like Evan Engram, who love to dominate the seams and attack mismatches in the secondary. It should allow Jones more time in a pocket and weaker coverage on his receivers, theoretically increasing his completion percentage and WR catch rate.

Barkley will also impact the game on the ground, not just for himself but for Jones as well. The Giants loved using DJ on read-option plays last season, as he totaled 423 yards over 14 games. Creating confusion for defenses will be a priority next year in Jason Garrett’s scheme, and it starts with forcing defensive backs to step forward and play the run, baiting them into making premature decisions post-snap. This will also open up the play-action pass, and vertical threats with speedsters like John Ross and Darius Slayton — commanding attention at the line of scrimmage should force defenses to play with liabilities in the secondary — one deep safety, Cover-1 (expose verticals), and Cover-3 looks (attack seams and flats).

Defenses that are looking to play Cover-2 man will have a handful in the shorter portions of the field with Saquon as a running back and receiver, but also shifty pass-catchers like Sterling Shepard and Toney.

There is little doubt the offense will take a step forward and 2021. It is simply a matter of how much, which is entirely dependent on the performance of the offensive line.

New York Giants: New additions Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney will be an elite deep-threat duo

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new york giants, kenny golladay

The New York Giants had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. They averaged a putrid 17.5 points per game, ranking second-to-last in the NFL. Part of the Giants’ major struggles offensively was their failure to get the deep-passing game together.

Daniel Jones attempted only 43 passes 20+ yards downfield in 2020. Jones is a conservative quarterback, but this low attempt total is unacceptable in the modern NFL. The Giants also did not have a ton of vertical receiving talent, nor an offensive coordinator that emphasized deep passing. But in 2021, all of that should change.

The New York Giants made plenty of big moves this offseason to improve their offense. Some of the Giants’ acquisitions seem to indicate that New York will emphasize the deep-passing game this upcoming season. In particular, new additions Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney will be a huge boost to the team’s vertical offense, creating an elite deep-threat duo.

Golladay and Toney going deep

Kenny Golladay is one of the best deep-threats in the NFL. Pro Football Focus ranked the Giants’ new alpha dog as the third-best deep-threat in the league. Golladay was a huge addition to the Giants’ offense as a receiver that will open up their vertical attack on offense.

Per PFF, Golladay ranks fourth among NFL wide receivers in deep receiving yards over the past three years, and he was just nine yards behind third-place despite playing in only 5 games in 2020. Kenny Golladay’s 628 yards on deep passes ranked second in the league in 2019 (PFF). KennyG’s production on deep receiving is incredible, but the Giants’ first-round pick Kadarius Toney isn’t too shabby going deep either.

According to Pro Football Focus, 10.7 percent of the Kadarius Toney’s targets in college were on passes 20+ yards downfield. Toney earned an insane 99.6 grade with a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted on those deep passes.

Kadarius Toney is one of the most dynamic rookies entering the NFL this year. Not only is he a great deep receiving threat, but he is also a YAC monster that will open up the intermediate passing game, along with the return of superstar running back Saquon Barkley. Kadarius Toney forced a missed tackle on 35% of touches since 2018, which was first among the 2021 wide receiver draft class (PFF). Toney forced 32 missed tackles on 80 catches the past two seasons (PFF).

Daniel Jones was PFF’s third-highest graded passer on deep balls in 2020 with a 95.6 passing grade. Jones did not throw deep that often, but when he did he made it count. Now, with this influx of talent in Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay, Daniel Jones should start slinging it deep more often and the Giants’ offense should enjoy an elite deep-threat duo in 2021.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones and Eli Manning still close in 2021

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New York Giants, Eli Manning, Daniel Jones

New York Giants quarterbacks Eli Manning and Daniel Jones didn’t get to spend that long on a team together. While the plan was for Manning to start during Jones’ rookie season, that was quickly thrown off as the Giants got off to a bad start and Jones took over. The Giants didn’t look back. Manning retired, and Jones continued as the starter. However, that doesn’t mean all contact between them was lost when Manning walked away from football.

He’s still been a factor in Jones’ development, and Jones himself recently spoke on that while talking to SiriusXM.

“I think we’re friends and we certainly have stayed in touch. It was a little different this year with COVID. He wasn’t around as much. But yeah, no, we’re friends and I’ve certainly learned a lot from him and he’s helped me a ton,” Jones told SiriusXM.

Manning is finally back with the Giants in an official role for the first time since his retirement. That role, however, seems to be with the business side of the front office instead of one dealing with the team directly. Despite that, it’s hard to imagine Manning’s presence with the organization won’t have any impact on the current roster.

The Giants have a very different looking offense this year, with Jones entering his third season and receiving new help in the form of additional receivers and a returning Saquon Barkley. At a time like this, the experience of someone that’s been a winning quarterback for as long as Manning could prove invaluable.

In the kind of high pressure season that’s to come, that kind of leadership can be the difference between the step forward that everyone expects from Jones and failure.

New York Giants: Phil Simms details what Daniel Jones’s success relies on

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

Success for the New York Giants during the 2021 regular season relies on a variety of important factors. Ranging from the performance of the offensive line to putting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, there might not be a more important factor than Daniel Jones’s development. Heading into his third season in the NFL, the 6’5″, 221 pound QB was gifted with serious weapons this off-season. The Giants made it a priority to build around their quarterback, producing Kenny Golladay in free agency and drafted Kadarius Toney.

The players the Giants added help in different ways — Golladay is a 6’4” possession receiver who can attack the deeper portions of the field, while Toney can operate in the middle, exposing mismatches and creating plays after the catch. However, Jones himself is a unique quarterback, providing a team that has traditionally relied on pocket passers with a more athletic option.

There are kinks in Jones’s armor that need to be worked out, such as pocket awareness and protecting the football. If he can smooth out these struggles, Jones can become an adequate quarterback in the NFL who produces regularly.

Former Giants QB Phil Simms spoke to CBS Sports about Daniel Jones and his progression:

“I feel safe in saying this, he’s got experience, now he’s got to show a little more awareness, be a little more assertive — physically, emotionally, all those things. Just in my opinion,” Simms said. “I think (the Giants are) all in on Daniel Jones. That’s what I think. When you look at what they’ve done — they go out and draft in the first round, Kadarius Toney — that tells you something. They sign John Ross, they paid Kenny Golladay all that money. Saquon Barkley’s coming back, they’re trying to fix the offensive line, hope it comes through to what they believe it will be.

New York Giants: Phill Simms on Daniel Jones’ goals this season

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

It’s uncertain where the bar should be set for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. The pressure is obviously on for the third year player, and the Giants have added a lot of talent to help him. However, given his struggles and up and down play through his first two years, many are having a hard time making a surefire prediction and figuring out just where Jones will land record wise in 2021.

While not everyone agrees on what would be an acceptable level of performance for Jones, former Giants QB Phil Simms has some idea about where the bar should be set. It’s also lower than you might think based on the amount of pressure on Jones.

“If the Giants go 8-9 and Daniel Jones plays well and you can see that he’s the guy, Giants fans will be happy,” Simms told CBS Sports. “But if they go 8-9 and he doesn’t play well, then we’re gonna have that debate. ‘Oh, should they draft a quarterback, should they do this,’ or whatever. So it’s really a fine line there. But I think if he plays well, that will make a lot of people feel good regardless of the record.”

He went on to claim that the Giants aren’t going to win the Super Bowl this year, but that they need to show progress regardless.

It’s an idea that makes sense. Showing progress is why last season is held in higher regard than the couple of seasons before it even though the Giants still missed the playoffs and ended up with a high draft pick again. But repeating the same step forward will be harder this year. The Giants aren’t starting from the bottom again, after all.

A make or break season for Jones?

It’s been called a make or break season for Daniel Jones quite a lot this year, with most assuming that his performance will play a large role in whether or not the organization stays with him in the coming years. But it’s also a dynamic that Phil Simms isn’t exactly the biggest fan of.

According to him, there’s a lot more to winning than just the quarterback.

“I don’t care who you are, you can’t get it done unless you have the right pieces – the organization, the owner, the coordinator and players – around you. But it doesn’t matter. The media, the TV media — probably more than even the print media now — it is, ‘Make or break, he’ll never win a Super Bowl. Well, how many has he won? What about the playoffs?'” Simms continued.

He said that in today’s world, we’ve narrowed things down to just looking at the head coach and the quarterback.

The Giants may be a victim of that dynamic, as a lot of focus has gone on their quarterback situation, but as other areas of the team improve and Daniel Jones remains a part of the picture, there will of course be a lot of questions about whether Jones will improve with the rest of the roster.

We’ll get those answers this season – but whether this really is a ‘make or break’ year for Jones is something that only the Giants leadership likely knows the full answer to.

New York Giants: Why Kenny Golladay was the ‘perfect’ free agent signing for Daniel Jones

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new york giants, kenny golladay, daniel jones

The New York Giants are heading into the 2021 season with far better personnel on offense compared to the 2020 campaign. Unfortunately for quarterback Daniel Jones, the team traded away one of the best receivers in the NFL upon his drafting (OBJ), and it took them two years to provide him with an arsenal of weapons most would consider adequate.

This off-season, management had one priority, upgrade the offense and provide Jones with as many supporting pieces as possible. They started with signing one of the best possession receivers in football, Kenny Golladay. The two sides agreed on a four-year, $72 million deal with an out in 2024, which would count $6.8 million in dead money. By that point, Golladay will be 30 years old and have earned $21.4 million for the 2023 campaign. However, his cap hit for this upcoming season will be just $4.47 million, which allowed the Giants to continue spending in free agency.

The question is, what does Golliday provide the Giants offense, and why is he the perfect free agent signing for Daniel Jones?

In 2019, Golladay finished with 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl appearance. This past year, he played in just five games before going down with a hamstring injury which hampered him for the remainder of the campaign. Considering the Detroit Lions have been a bottom-of-the-barrel team for quite some time, they often lose players to free agency — the Giants are expecting Golladay to take the offense to another level as a big 6’4″, 214-pound pass catcher.

Consider this, Daniel Jones completed 16 passes for 652 yards and six touchdowns when throwing the ball 20+ yards down-field in 2020. He didn’t throw a single interception in that range, but Jason Garrett only called plays with him throwing the ball 20+ yards on fewer than 10% of his attempts. Of course, this can be correlated to a lack of time in the pocket due to inefficient pass blocking, but the New York Giants also ranked last in yards of separation among their receivers. Only Sterling Shepard reached the average mark of 3.0 yards of separation, per Next Gen Stats.

How will the New York Giants use Golladay?

Golladay is known for his ability to make big plays downfield, using his strength and frame to shield off defenders. Pairing an elite possession threat with a quarterback who has deadly accuracy in that intermediate/deep range is reminiscent of Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress to a degree.

Best case scenario, Jones and Golladay experience the developmental leap that Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs enjoyed last season. Allen went from throwing 20 touchdowns in 2019 to 37 last year, making his first Pro Bowl. Diggs played a significant part in his success, accounting for eight touchdown receptions and 1,535 yards, a career-high by a large margin. He also garnered 127 receptions out of the 572 total attempts from Allen. I fully expect Jones to be looking Kenny’s way frequently this upcoming year, otherwise, his signing would’ve been for naught.

The reality is, Jones will go as far as the offensive line takes him, but the influx of weapons should command additional attention from defenders, dragging blitzers out of the box.

New York Giants: Ranking the quarterbacks in the NFC East

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones, dak prescott, cowboys

Last season, the NFC East was one of the worst divisions in football, as the New York Giants barely missed the playoffs as a six-win team. The Washington Football Team secured the division with seven wins, a 0.438 victory percentage, barely scoring more points than they allowed. They were the only team in the NFC East who had a positive net point margin with +6, as the Giants landed at -77.

Moving forward, most of the teams in the division took significant steps forward on paper regarding personnel decisions and signings. However, the importance of the quarterback position remains true, and with Washington transitioning over to Ryan Fitzpatrick, a veteran journeyman, and the Eagles sticking with sophomore QB Jalen Hurts, the passers in the NFC East represent major questions.

Ranking the NFC East quarterbacks:

1.) Dak Prescott

Prescott is the only true and tried quarterback in the division, having thrown nine touchdowns before going down in Week 5 against the Giants with a broken ankle. Having tossed 30 touchdowns the year before, Prescott signed a massive six-year, $250 million deal with the Cowboys, which could either bite them in the butt or deliver a franchise passer for the next half-decade.

Dak is the only quarterback in the division that lands in the top 10 of passers in the NFL, and with his ability to utilize his legs, he is a dual-threat in both the passing and running game. Pairing him with coordinator Kellen Moore has done wonders for his career.

2.) Daniel Jones

Giants’ quarterback Daniel Jones desperately needs to take a step forward in his third season in the NFL, and the expectation is that he will do just that with the additions of Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, and the return of Saquon Barkley. Nonetheless, his success relies heavily on the performance of the offensive line, which the Giants did very little to upgrade this off-season. In fact, they cut their best guard in Kevin Zeitler, replacing him with will Hernandez at RG and supposedly cementing Shane LeMieux at LG.

After an adequate rookie season where Jones tossed 24 touchdowns, he took a step backward in the production category due to a lack of weapons and scheme. With a year of experience under Jason Garrett’s system and the hope that they will operate a more downfield-centric strategy, Jones could easily end up being the second-best quarterback in the division, if not eventually pushing Prescott for the top spot. Again, his future success relies heavily on the efficiency of his protection and maximizing his strengths through play-calling.

3.) Ryan Fitzpatrick

While Ryan Fitzpatrick has been a solid quarterback throughout his career, he is a journeyman who has spent time on eight different teams, playing the last two years with the Miami Dolphins. Fitzpatrick is preparing to turn 39 years old, and while he’s capable of magical moments, there’s a reason he only started nine games last year.

Fitzpatrick goes through wild swings of production and inefficiency, tossing 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions last year with a 68.5% completion rate. Washington is taking a serious gamble with Fitz as their primary starter, but if all goes well, he could have a solid season. Considering his history, though, I prefer Jones’s youth rather than Fitzpatrick’s experience and heroic approach.

4.) Jalen Hurts

The worst quarterback in the division by default is Jalen Hurts, who played in 15 games last year and finished with a 52% completion rate. His final stat-line read 6 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and fumbled nine times over four starts. Overall, he played 30% of snaps after the Eagles decided to go with Hurts over Carson Wentz.

Jalen is primarily a running quarterback until proven otherwise, as completing 50% of his passes simply won’t get it done in the NFL. Philadelphia is taking an extreme risk, and at this point, he is the worst passer in the division.

What Freddie Kitchens’s promotion means for the New York Giants’ offense in 2021

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New York Giants, Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland Browns

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge made some key changes to his coaching staff this offseason. When Judge was hired in the 2020 offseason, he built a strong coaching staff that featured many former head coaches in assistant coaching roles. One of those former head coaches was Freddie Kitchens, Judge hired him as the tight ends coach.

Freddie Kitchens served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the 2019 season. Kitchens took over as the offensive coordinator for Cleveland in the 2018 season after the team fired Todd Haley. Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield saw his game elevate to another level once Kitchens was put in charge. Unfortunately, things did not end well for Kitchens in Cleveland, as the Browns disappointed in 2019 and fired their head coach after one season.

Joe Judge then brought Freddie Kitchens onto his staff as a tight ends coach. But, after just one season, Kitchens’s role with the Giants is changing. Coach Judge gave Kitchens a promotion this offseason to “senior offensive assistant.” This new role will change Freddie Kitchens’s responsibilities with the team completely while also having a significant impact on the Giants’ offense.

How Freddie Kitchens will make the offense more vertical

At the beginning of Freddie Kitchens’s career, he worked under Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals. Kitchens learned a lot from Arians and developed his playbook based on the former Cardinals head coach’s offensive scheme. Like Arians, Kitchens loves to utilize 11 personnel and his offense places a heavy emphasis on vertical passing concepts.

Quarterbacks in Kitchens’s offense tend to have a high average depth of target. Under Todd Haley, Baker Mayfield’s ADOT was just 6.8 but shot up to 9.1 once Freddie Kitchens took over. According to PFF, Mayfield’s ADOT under Kitchens in 2018 was 9.6 yards, a very deep average. Kitchens again had him over 9 yards in 2019, averaging 9.2 yards ADOT.

Compare this to Daniel Jones’s first two seasons in the NFL. Under Shurmur in 2018, Jones’s ADOT was 8.4 yards. Garrett’s notoriously non-vertical offense in 2018 brought Daniel Jones’s ADOT down to 8.0 yards. Now, as a senior offensive assistant, one must assume that Freddie Kitchens will help Jason Garrett implement more vertical passing concepts and try to raise Daniel Jones’s ADOT in 2021.

Baker Mayfield threw 72 total 20+ yard passes in 2018 and 76 attempts in 2019. Kitchens had him airing the ball deep frequently. Daniel Jones threw 54 deep passes under Shurmur in 2018, playing in only 12 games. In 14 games under Garrett in 2020, Jones threw far fewer deep balls, only 43 total. This is obviously a problem, especially when considering Daniel Jones had a 132.5 passer rating on 20+ yard throws last season, the highest in the NFL.

Daniel Jones is an efficient deep-ball passer. Unfortunately, he rarely pushes the ball downfield due to a lack of vertical passing concepts in Jason Garrett’s offensive scheme. Freddie Kitchens should alleviate this issue and help Garrett get the ball downfield more frequently.

How Freddie Kitchens will help the offensive line develop

Head coach Joe Judge said that Kitchens’s “primary responsibility is going to be working with the front” in his new senior offensive assistant position. Judge explained, “tying into having two young offensive line coaches with Rob and Ben, I think Freddie is going to be an asset up front working directly with them and helping bring together the game planning, like all of our coaches will, but working directly with (offensive coordinator) Jason (Garrett) with some of the things that are going to happen upfront.”