The New York Giants are dealing with controversy at quarterback. Despite being benched for the fourth quarter in the Giants’ Week 7 blowout loss to the Eagles, Daniel Jones is not expected to be playing with a short leash and will remain the team’s starting quarterback.
However, things could have been different if Big Blue had elected to re-sign last year’s backup Tyrod Taylor. Recent insight into the locker room indicates that a change would be more likely if Taylor were still with the team.
The Giants’ locker room still has faith in Daniel Jones
According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, the Giants’ locker room still believes in Jones, and the players are not pushing for a new starter. However, that might have been different if Taylor was still on the roster:
“Asked some players in the locker room and they weren’t pushing for a change at QB. Jones is their starter,” Raanan wrote on X. “A few guys said it might be different if Tyrod Taylor was still on the roster. He’s not. It’s still Daniel Jones’ team.”
Taylor was impressive last season while filling in for the injured Jones.
Jones missed time due to two injuries last season — a neck injury from Week 6 to Week 8 and then an ACL tear that ended his season prematurely in Week 9.
The Giants should have resigned Taylor
Subsequently, Taylor started five games last season. He led the team to a 2-3 record while throwing for 1,341 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.
This offseason, the Giants had the option of re-signing Taylor in free agency. However, they elected to let him test the market, and he eventually walked, signing a two-year contract with the New York Jets.
Instead of re-signing Taylor. The Giants signed Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million contract to be Jones’s new backup quarterback.
Lock has not been impressive so far during his tenure with Big Blue. The 2019 second-round pick struggled in the preseason before dealing with an injury. He played out the fourth quarter for the Giants in Week 7 but struggled to get the ball moving, completing just three of his eight passes for six yards.
Entering Week 8, the Giants have a difficult opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. The Steelers have an excellent defense that is bound to give a struggling Jones some problems. However, even if he does struggle, it seems unlikely that head coach Brian Dave will turn to Lock as the team’s starter.
The Giants’ belief in Taylor highlights a crucial offseason mistake
The team’s reported belief in Taylor is eye-opening. Raanan’s report almost makes it seem like the Giants locker room is rallying behind Jones because they have no better choice. However, if Taylor were on the roster, perhaps he would be the better choice, and the Giants would rally behind him.
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Taylor’s absence on this roster and the team’s subsequent lack of quarterback talent highlights the chief error that general manager Joe Schoen made in the offseason. Knowing that Jones was returning from a difficult injury and that he struggled during his playing time last season, the Giants should have done more to upgrade the quarterback room behind him. Instead, they are now 2-5 with a quarterback controversy, shaky ground to stand on, and an uncertain future at the position.