Daniel Jones

The New York Giants are expected to roll with quarterback Daniel Jones for the 2021 season, despite a disappointing 2020 campaign where he threw just 11 passing touchdowns.

Ultimately, Jones was surrounded by inadequacy, ranging from his playmakers to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The very moment star running back Saquon Barkley hit the ground with a torn ACL, the Giants’ offense sputter to a stagnated halt. Thanks to a revived rushing attack led by Wayne Gallman, the Giants did manage some success in at least one category, but the passing attack was inept and borderline nonexistent.

The major question is, is Jones the quarterback of the future, and has he developed enough to justify keeping him for the long term? Based on his numbers, most would say that he regressed in 2020, but I would disagree based on a few observations. His awareness in the pocket improved, and his downfield accuracy was one of the best in the NFL.

When throwing 20+ yards downfield, Jones managed six touchdowns and zero interceptions, posting a 90+ grade, per PFF when throwing between the numbers and to the outside right of the field. Going to his left side is his most liable location, but he dominates up the seams and in the shallow ranges. He is an accurate quarterback that simply hasn’t been given the tools to maximize his potential over two years, but the Giants are committed to upgrading his playmakers and giving him an opportunity to finally realize his quality in 2021.

On the Breaking Big Blue podcast by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Mel Kiper made an interesting hot take on Daniel Jones:

“I think Daniel Jones is a better quarterback in this draft than everybody except Trevor Lawrence,” Kiper said. “Zach Wilson would be the closest to him and then Justin Fields. But I would say that Daniel Jones in this draft would be the second quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence. Coming out of Duke, he would have been the second highest-rated quarterback.”

“I don’t know what else he could have done,” Kiper said. “If you’re looking for a guy to be perfect without the offensive line, without Saquon Barkley, without receivers, without tight ends catching the ball on a consistent basis – dropping balls that would have sealed a game against Philadelphia – a critical drop in other games. I don’t know what else he could have done. And I don’t know what else you can say to say this justifies where he was taken.

I’m not sure I would put him ahead of Zach Wilson and Justin Fields, but his prototypical size at 6’5” and 221 pounds makes him a physically perfect prospect.

The New York Giants shouldn’t give up on Daniel Jones just yet:

Jones is an intelligent player with good football IQ, meaning he can adapt to different schematics and operate with good coaching. The problem is, the turnover at OC has stunted his growth a bit, and while he has alleviated some of his concerns in the pocket, the jury is still out on Jones and his potential.

Kiper’s take is certainly HOT, but I see his perspective and why he believes DJ has the qualities to be a good quarterback in the NFL. Only time will tell his future, and it starts with upper management getting him the pieces he needs to establish himself as a franchise passer.

The New York Giants might be able to win a Super Bowl without going out and getting another player to start at QB. But that’s only if they can put a good enough running game and defense around Daniel Jones to give him some help. At least, that’s the take that one talent evaluator told the New York Post.

The opinion is held by Dan Shonka, the general manager of the Ourlads Scouting Service. He says that, like in past years, it might be help from other areas like the defense that lets the Giants win a ring with Jones.

Is a title too much to ask for Daniel Jones?

“Yeah, I think he can. Quarterbacks, if they don’t make mistakes, if they don’t turn the ball over — yes, I think he can,” Shonka said when asked about whether Jones winning a title with the Giants would be possible. He mentioned that Eli Manning also won with talent and great defenses around him, rather than on his own.

“He’s gonna be a middle-of-the-road starting quarterback in the NFL, work his way into the 15-20 range. He’ll be a piece, I don’t think he’ll ever be a star that’s gonna carry a team. He’s got to have guys like Saquon Barkley and the receivers around him and have the running game,” Shonka continued.

The forecast isn’t what some Giants fans will want to hear. The NFL is an increasingly QB driven league, after all, and it’s not that easy to win a title with a mid tier quarterback. Many believe the Giants will be stuck in rebuilding unless they move on from Jones.

It looks like Texans QB Deshaun Watson will be on the move, and there’s been increased talk about the Giants QB situation this year as they may have a chance to acquire Watson and move on from Jones – if they can make it work with the cap.

A verdict on Jones

Turnovers have been a problem for Jones. And Shonka also mentioned that.

“I think he can be a really good game manager-type quarterback. What bothers me is he turns the ball over more than I remembered in college. Is he a turnover machine?” he said.

He also gave Jones some credit, however, but placed a high importance on the Giants having players around him.

“Daniel’s a smart guy, he’s a little more athletic than I gave him credit for coming out of Duke. He has a chance, but he’s got to have the team around him.”

The Giants have been making better personnel decisions over the past year or so, so having a talented team around Jones might not be so far away. But clearly, the clock is ticking. It’s been a while since the Giants were a playoff team. And most fans are getting impatient to see them get back to that spot.

Whether or not they do in 2021 will likely have a big impact on the ultimate verdict on Jones’ time with the franchise.

When the New York Giants drafted Daniel Jones in 2019, many were perplexed by general manager Dave Gettleman’s decision. Jones was an optimistic pick with the sixth overall selection, and many older fans had seen enough from Duke quarterbacks, with Dave Brown.

However, at first glance, Jones has the physical traits to be a fantastic quarterback in the NFL. At 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, he’s barely 23 years old, indicating youth and tangible talent to work with. The issue, the Giants haven’t given him much in terms of support and quality offenses the past two seasons.

Under head coach Pat Shurmur, Jones seemed to have the arm talent to get it done in the NFL, throwing 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over 13 games. In fact, DJ enjoyed three contests in his rookie season with 4+ touchdown games. If that isn’t an indication of potential, I don’t know what is. His primary weakness was his fumbling issues and turnover problems.

Plenty of quarterbacks entering the NFL have turnover quandaries, and it takes time to iron them out over the course of a career. Jones is simply falling ill to familiar issues, but he cut down his turnover problems tremendously over the final five games of the season. Aside from one anomaly against the Arizona Cardinals where the offensive line was torched (3 fumbles), he allowed just one fumble and one interception over the final five games.

There’s plenty of reasons to be hopeful with DJ, and I want to remain positive when detailing his development so far.

Three reasons the New York Giants should have faith in Daniel Jones:

1.) Daniel Jones has the physcial qualities to be a great quarterback

As stated before, Jones has the physical abilities to be a great quarterback in the NFL. He has solid arm strength and the ability to run at a high-level. In fact, Jones’ 80-yard run against the Philadelphia Eagles in week seven was faster than any Lamar Jackson run during the 2020 season. With that kind of speed, DJ not only represents a threat from the pocket but as a mobile quarterback that can confuse defenses and keep them on their toes.

Some might argue that Jones has an inferior arm, and while he does have some trouble reaching the boundary on occasion, he was one of the most accurate deep-ball passers in the NFL this past season. Unfortunately, coordinator Jason Garrett didn’t push the ball downfield enough and allowed Jones to get creative and take shots. Garrett’s playcalling kept Jones beneath 10% regarding balls thrown 20+ yards downfield. That is simply malpractice for a quarterback that has great deep-ball accuracy.

2.) Jones is a fantastic deep-ball thrower

I want to dive a little bit deeper into Jones’ deep ball abilities. According to PFF, Jones had a 96.7 grade when throwing deep to the outside right, completing nine balls for 322 yards and one score. When targeting the middle of the field beyond 20 yards, he recorded 196 yards and four touchdowns. His left side was his weakest point, and that is for most categories, earning a 73.9 overall grade, completing four passes for 134 yards and one score. When throwing 20+ yards downfield, Jones didn’t throw a single interception the entire season, which is why Jason Garrett’s playcalling was so inefficient.

When throwing 20+ yards toward the middle of the field, Daniel Jones had a 92.3 grade (PFF) with 196 yards, 4 scores, and 0 INTs.

Tell me why Garrett didn't utilize Engram up the seam more often or push WRs up the seam all year?

Pettis finally did it in week 17 and scored.

— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) January 5, 2021

If the Giants elect to move on from Garrett or the Los Angeles Chargers hire him, the Giants should find a coordinator who runs more verticals and pushes the ball downfield, and I will bet we will see a more efficient Jones because of it.

3.) Has had two terrible supporting casts in the first two years

Let’s not forget that Jones has had very little to work with on offense. In his rookie season, Saquon Barkley was injured for the majority of the year, and the offensive line was one of the worst in the NFL. He had poor pass blocking and very lackluster run blocking. Jones was forced to sling the ball more frequently, with defenses sitting back in coverage with an inability to assert their dominance on the ground. If it couldn’t get any worse, his receivers were also inadequate as well. A combo of Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Darius Slayton simply doesn’t scream quality.

This season, Barkley was injured early on unless the entire year with a torn ACL, so the Giants’ star player on offense simply didn’t have any impact. The receivers lacked separation tremendously, and the pass blocking was once again inconsistent. DJ was forced to run the ball more frequently than he would’ve helped, and it resulted in injury. If the OL can take a step forward in pass blocking and Saquon returns fully healthy, the Giants should be in far better shape. I also expect them to allocate resources toward improving the wide receiver position, so next season we should see a much-improved DJ, given all of the impending moves and expectations pan out.

With the New York Giants missing the postseason, the 2021 off-season has officially commenced. It didn’t take long for management to give general manager Dave Gettleman a fourth shot at success, but I imagine he will only have one more season to prove his worth after securing 15 victories in three years.

Many around the organization believe Gettleman is credited with hiring Joe Judge, who has overhauled the team’s culture and put forth a set of disciplinary rules that command respect from players and coaches. While the Giants had their fair share of changes throughout the 2020 season, it is believed that progress is being made, and Gettleman’s chemistry with Judge is adequate.

With synergy flowing between the general manager and head coach, the Giants can continue forward with high hopes and positive momentum. While six victories shouldn’t be anything to write home about, the Giants know where they need to allocate resources this upcoming off-season, if they can manage to retain Leonard Williams/Dalvin Tomlinson. They’ve already extended safety Logan Ryan on a three-year deal, which should provide some continuity and veteran leadership in the secondary.

The defense as a whole saw massive improvements compared to 2019 when they averaged 28.2 points per game allowed. Under Patrick Graham, they averaged just 22 points per game allowed, thanks to an improved scheme and relentless pursuit from the players. The free agents acquired, and draft selections were all incredibly productive, and we have to imagine they will only continue to develop and improve with more time in the system. However, the offense is the unit that desperately needs help.

To finish the year, the Giants’ offense averaged 17.5 points per game, good for second to last in the NFL, and 189.1 passing yards per game, good for 29th. The only saving grace for them was their running attack, where they averaged 110.5 yards on the ground, which landed them in the average category.

Ultimately, if the Giants were average across the board, they would likely be in the playoffs right now and considered a decent squad. That simply isn’t the reality, as coordinator Jason Garrett put together a simplistic passing attack that lacked flair and downfield threats.

Quarterback Daniel Jones threw 20+ yards downfield on less than 10% of his attempts, with only 10 quarterbacks throwing less than him over 39 players with a specific sample size. That proves to us one thing, Garrett did not utilize Jones’ strengths, as he is one of the most accurate deep-ball passers in the NFL.

To give you an idea, Jones earned a 92.3 overall grade per PFF, earning 196 yards and four scores when throwing beyond 20+ yards down the middle of the field.

If the Giants want to improve their offense in 2021, a few things need to happen. They need to find a play-caller that pushes verticals and one that sees Jones’ strengths and attacks them properly.

What should the New York Giants’ priority be in 2021?

The number one priority for a Big Blue this off-season should be to acquire a wide receiver one that Jones can utilize in the passing game and to pair with running back Saquon Barkley. When Barkley is on the field, he demands attention from linebackers and safeties who are playing the run. Having a stud receiver allows them to fit in behind the safeties who are trying to compensate for Barkley’s elite talents.

It is the perfect combination to get Jones out of trouble and give some separation to the receivers. Whether it be a draft pick or a free-agent signing like Allen Robinson, Gettleman needs to prioritize the acquisition of a WR before anything else. The defense is in good shape, and we can expect them to retain some of their big interior linemen. With the 11th overall pick, they should have a chance at securing a talent like Devonta Smith from Alabama or Jaylen Waddle, who has solid speed and elite route running.

It should be an interesting off-season, to say the least, but if Gettleman doesn’t acquire a WR1, he should already be on the hot seat.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been injured for the second half of the season, after going down with a hamstring injury against the Cincinnati Bengals in week 12. The Giants managed to win that game 19-17, but Jones has missed two games over the last four weeks.

Unfortunately, without his running ability, DJ simply isn’t as effective. As a pure pocket passer, Jones has struggled to excel in Jason Garrett’s offense, and that could be a result of his poor playcalling. However, utilizing RPO’s and his legs to keep opposing defenses honest is a significant part of his game, and without it, we’ve seen his struggles.

Jones spoke to the media this past week, trying to sell the idea of a conservative game plan. However, he’s been running well and has no injury designation this week, which could indicate 100% health and a potential return to his running strengths.

“I think you can tell from the tape I can’t do a lot of the same things I’m used to doing. I’ve played from the pocket the past couple weeks, and I expect to continue to do that until I’m healthy. We’ll see what exactly, but I expect the game plan and what I’m asked to do to be fairly similar to what it’s been these past few weeks.”

Just from watching the tape, Jones has refrained from leaving the pocket and taking off downfield. He’s rolled out without any hesitation or limp, showing that he’s close to being 100%. I believe the Giants will be a bit more aggressive, considering this week 17 matchup against Dallas has playoff implications.

“It’s certainly something I have to be aware of with my mobility and what I can do, and something I’m cognizant of playing in the game,” Jones said. “But it’s how I’ve played these last couple of weeks and I’ve kind of gotten used to it.”

Head coach Joe Judge would’ve liked Jones to be a bit vaguer with his responses, but it certainly has thrown a monkey wrench into Dallas’s game plan. They have to be careful that Jones is not capable of running, and will in fact stay in the pocket. This could catch them off guard.

“I read Daniel’s comments yesterday,” Judge said. “Probably a little more forthcoming than I would have been with it right there. But as I said yesterday, we’ll do whatever it takes to win the game.”

The New York Giants have leaned on DJ’s legs often this season:

Over 13 games, Jones has rushed for 406 yards, closing in on double his 2019 numbers. He hasn’t reached the end zone much in the category, but he’s averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has made it a priority in his game. This was a factor that wasn’t expected to be significant when Jones entered the NFL, but his increase in size and speed has made running the football a great asset for the Giants.