The former 6th overall pick on the surface had a good rookie campaign and is looking like he is a franchise QB. The TD: INT ratio looks good and a decent completion percentage seems like he is poised for stardom. The New York Giants perceived issues lie in the O-line and in the defense, which while they are reasonable things to critique, I’d say that Daniel Jones has a lot he needs to do in 2020 before he’s off the hook as well.
Turnover Machine
When you think of turnovers for a QB New York Giants fans probably sit back and laugh at Baker Mayfield or Jameis Winston turning over the football a lot, but in terms of TDs+Lost Fumbles (so total Turnovers), Daniel Jones turned over the ball as much as Baker Mayfield. That is something that needs to change fast as if Daniel Jones turns the ball over 23 times again, even if it’s not interceptions, it’s going to be an issue that will cause the New York Giants to lose more and more.
Deeper Dive Into 2019
3,000+ yards, 24 TDS, 12 INTs, not at all bad for a rookie campaign and it shows promise on the surface. I think Daniel Jones has a future as an NFL QB but there have to be a lot of unnoticed flaws that must be fixed in order for him to live up to the new expectations.
A 61.9% completion rate isn’t anything to write home about, and as an NFL passer your ability to complete passes obviously matters, but it matters, even more, when you’re progressing as a QB. This is especially true when you have a QB like Jones who doesn’t throw the ball downfield much at all, being near the bottom in yards per attempt and adjusted yards per attempt. Even his IAY (intended air yards) were only the 19th best in the NFL, and while it’s skewed due to missed games, per pass attempt, adjusted metrics for intended air yards show he’s 20th in that department. If you’re going to steal 3 or 4 yard plays that’s not a bad thing at all, it shows patience and slowly kills a defense, but you have to make sure you’re accurate when doing so.
Receivers Didn’t Do Him Harm
Daniel Jones in terms of drop percentage had a better receiving core than most remember. He only had 3.8% of all passes dropped, which was lower than 23 other QBs in the NFL. While that’s not the only metric to measure a receiving core’s ability to be consistent, it does show that Daniel Jones’ rookie mistakes were not because of inept receivers who drop everything but because of Jones needing to develop more.
The pressure on Daniel Jones is surmounting as he came into the season with the expectation of bust, but now that he’s shown some promise he needs to live up for the title of the 6th overall pick, because if he doesn’t then it won’t bode well for Dave Gettleman, the Giants, and especially Daniel Jones. Personally speaking, I think he can have a good 2nd year, but I also believe that comes with growth in his ability to be an accurate passer and try to push the ball downfield more as his receivers will make sure to catch them.