The New York Giants are hoping for a bounce-back campaign from sixth-year quarterback Daniel Jones. In 2023, Jones played poorly in the six starts that he made before his season came to a premature end due to an ACL injury.
The Giants made an effort to find Jones’s successor this offseason. They attempted to no avail to trade with the New England Patriots during the draft for UNC QB Drake Maye. Minimal competition was added to Big Blue’s quarterback room, leaving Jones as the presumed starter in Week 1 — if he is fully healthy.
Daniel Jones is back on the practice field
Jones appears to be on track to return to the field on time. As the team kicked off OTAs this week, Jones was a participant in many of the primary drills.
Dan Salamone, the Managing Editor of Giants.com, noted Jones’s participation in 7-on-7 drills in his takeaways from the first practice of OTAs:
“Quarterback Daniel Jones, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL on Nov. 22, took the next step in his rehab and participated in 7-on-7 drills. He completed passes to wide receivers Wan’Dale Robinson and Malik Nabers, the sixth overall pick in the draft. The hope has been to have Jones full-go for training camp in late July.”
Jones has reportedly looked sharp on the practice field this summer
Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post shared on social media that he had heard “nothing but rave reviews” about Jones’s on-field work during the first two phases of the offseason program. Jones has been “throwing with accuracy and velocity,” Dunleavy added.
The Giants are expecting Jones to be fully cleared for the start of training camp, which kicks off at the end of July. Getting Jones back in full swing by then will allow the team to ramp him up for the regular season.
The Giants need Jones to be great in 2024
Even though he will be coming off of a devastating injury this season, the Giants need Jones to play at a high level. They contemplated moving on from the injured quarterback this offseason. Jones will need to prove that he is still the future of the franchise this season, not only through his performance, but also through his health.
Jones has missed time due to injuries in all but one season of his career. An injury clause in Jones’s contract looms large his season. If he cannot pass his physical in the 2025 offseason, the Giants will owe Jones an additional $23 million, making it far more difficult to move on from the quarterback, even if he is not playing at a high level.
To justify putting him on the field and taking such a financial risk, the Giants need Jones to play some elite football this season. They bolstered the offensive line in front of him and added an elite weapon in the first round of the draft with rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers. In 2024, the excuses will be thin — Jones needs to prove himself as a franchise quarterback no matter the circumstances.