The New York Giants‘ selecting quarterback Daniel Jones sixth overall in the NFL Draft gave critics fuel to bash the logic behind the selection. Yet so far this preseason, Jones has made those critics admit their own fault with his play on the field. As the future QB of the Giants, Daniel Jones needs to see playing time against the starters this preseason.
Eli Manning has long been the franchise quarterback for the New York Giants, and he has delivered not one but two Super Bowls for New York. But one opponent he and every other athlete he cannot defeat is father time, and the Giants know this. That is why they selected Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft.
Look at all mock drafts, college tape, and combine measurements you want, but ultimately a team selects who they see as the best fit for the franchise. The Giants saw Daniel Jones not just as the best quarterback available, but the future player under center after Eli Manning’s eventual departure.
Critics, opposing teams, essentially everyone outside the Giants’ organization scoffed at Jones’ selection and the reasoning behind it. Now? They’re likely reevaluating their doubts as Daniel Jones continues to flash potential this preseason.
Through two preseason games so far, Daniel Jones has completed 16 of 19 passes for a stellar 84.2% completion rate. He’s found the endzone twice through the air without a single interception to account for. With all these stats combined, he’s accounted for a 151.8 quarterback rating (NFL.com/stats).
Does this mean Jones is ready to take the reigns from Eli Manning and lead this franchise come Week 1? No, and he may not even be ready to do so come this season. Because before he can handle starting defenses in the regular season, he needs to get the same exposure come preseason.
There are only two preseason games left as the Giants travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. More and more we are seeing coaches rest their starters, opting them to play little to no snaps at all during the preseason.
But should Cincinnati or New England opt to have a few defensive starters out on the field through the rest of August, Pat Shurmur should leverage the learning opportunity for his future quarterback. To be the best you have to play against the best, and there’s a significant difference between the starters and second units.
Coach Shurmur, the Giants organization, and most importantly Jones himself know what they have in their future quarterback. He’s flashed the potential, but before it comes to a realization, there are steps to take along the way. If there are starters lined up across, let Daniel Jones have a go at them.