Daniel Jones needs the New York Giants’ pass protection to improve for breakout 2021 season

The New York Giants are entering a crucial 2021 season for their young quarterback’s development. Daniel Jones is entering his third season in the league. Many within the Giants’ fanbase and organization feel as though Jones is a franchise quarterback. However, many do not feel that way.

Since Jones entered the NFL in 2019, there have been a lot of ups and a lot of downs. The Giants selected Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and had him take over as the starting quarterback early on in his rookie season. Jones impressed early on and brought excitement to the fan base. However, Daniel Jones has struggled to keep the ball out of harm’s way, tossing 22 interceptions and losing 17 fumbles in 27 career games.

Fans have held Daniel Jones accountable for his 39 turnovers. But they have also cut him some slack due to the terrible situation surrounding their young signal-caller. Daniel Jones had a lackluster group of playmakers around him for his first two seasons. The Giants fixed that in the 2021 offseason, though, signing Kenny Golladay, Kyle Rudolph, and drafting Kadarius Toney. But the Giants’ lack of weapons was not their only issue on offense.

The Giants’ offensive line has also held Daniel Jones back through two years in the league. The Giants’ offensive line was one of the worst units in the NFL in 2020. If the Giants want Daniel Jones to have his big breakout season in 2021, they need to see their pass protection improve drastically.

The struggles of the Giants’ offensive line

The New York Giants’ pass-block win rate in 2020, according to ESPN, ranked dead-last in the NFL at 46%. Their run-block win rate ranked 18th at 70%, which is about average or slightly below. So while the Giants did upgrade Daniel Jones’s weapons in free agency, fans feel like they still desperately need to fix the offensive line in front of him.

Since 2018, only two quarterbacks in the NFL have been pressured on more than 40% of their dropbacks. Daniel Jones has been pressured on 41.2% of his drops while Sam Darnold has been pressured on 40.1% of his drops (CBS).

Ever since Daniel Jones took over for Eli Manning as the Giants’ new starting quarterback, he has been the most pressured quarterback in the NFL. Many of Daniel Jones’s fumbles and interceptions occur as a result of the constant pressure he is under. The Giants’ offensive line has led Daniel Jones back so far. But if the unit can improve in pass protection this season, then Daniel Jones will have a golden opportunity to establish himself as the next franchise quarterback of the New York Giants.