The New York Giants began their voluntary workouts for the upcoming 2024 season on Monday with players returning to the facilities for the first time this offseason. Quarterback Daniel Jones was in attendance and took some time to speak to the media, providing an update on his health as he recovers from a torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2023 season.
Daniel Jones says he expects to be ready for the start of the Giants’ training camp
Jones suffered his torn ACL during the Giants’ Week 9 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last season. He subsequently underwent season-ending surgery and has since begun his road to recovery.
Meanwhile, the Giants are scouting quarterbacks in this year’s draft class as they contemplate drafting one of the top prospects to succeed Jones as the team’s starter. Jones, however, told reporters that he is expecting to be healthy and ready to go for summer practices and the regular season:
“The plan is to be ready to go by training camp,” Jones told the media (h/t Art Stapleton). He also told reporters that he has been throwing for a while now and has not suffered any setbacks during his rehabilitation.
When asked if he thinks he’s the Giants’ best option to start the season at quarterback, Jones confidently responded, “I do, yes.”
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Jones says his neck is “100% healthy”
In addition to the torn ACL that Jones is recovering from, he also dealt with an additional injury to his neck during the 2023 season. The injury sidelined Jones from Week 6 to Week 8 and came with added concern due to his previous history of injuries to his neck. Jones suffered a season-ending injury to his neck in 2019 which caused him to undergo surgery and miss the final six games of the season.
When asked about his neck, Jones gave a positive update to reporters (h/t Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post):
“My neck is 100 percent healthy,” Jones said. That was a stinger-type injury, which is common in football.”
This is a significant update as there has been speculation regarding Jones’s neck injuries in the past. Any significant damage suffered to a football player’s neck could ultimately result in a premature ending to a career, as it did with former Giants first-round pick David Wilson.
The Giants can continue to prepare for the upcoming 2024 season with the expectation that Jones will be healthy and ready to play by Week 1. Having him back on the practice field for training camp will be important as Jones begins to get the rust knocked off for the regular season.