New York Giants: Daniel Jones Working Hard, Adding 9 Pounds Of Muscle in 2020 Offseason

New York Giants, Daniel Jones
Anthony Rivardo (edit)

Daniel Jones is getting yoked. The starting quarterback of the New York Giants has been working hard this season to improve his ball security. On top of that, the second-year signal-caller has been going hard in the weight room, adding nine pounds of muscle this offseason.

Recently, The Athletic spoke to David Morris of QB Country. Morris is a former Ole Miss quarterback that founded QB Country. QB Country is “the nation’s leading quarterback training and development company.” When asked about Daniel Jones, Morris said, “He’s been serious about staying busy in the weight room. I think he’s around 230. He’s gotten bigger and therefore you see it — he’s stronger.”

In 2019, Daniel Jones weighed 221 pounds. Since he has been training hard and hitting the weight room this offseason, he has gained nine pounds. Daniel Jones has been working hard to correct his fumbling issue from his rookie season, and getting stronger is part of that.

Daniel Jones Working On Ball Security

Earlier this offseason, Daniel Jones did not shy away when asked about his ball security. The Giants’ quarterback fumbled the football 18 times in 12 games as a rookie in 2019. Daniel recognized that he needed to improve in that area, and discussed how he has been working to do that:

“One of the things I’ve tried to focus on this offseason is my ball security and my ball carriage in the pocket. So that was a topic of conversation for us, and you know, just being more mindful of that, being more intentional on how you hold the ball and how you secure the ball.” – Daniel Jones via Elite Sports NY

As mentioned earlier, Daniel Jones has been working diligently with David Morris of QB Country to fix his fumbling woes. Along with Morris, Jones has been training with his former head coach from Duke, David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe discussed the training him and Jones have done this offseason:

“We have a bunch of drills that are designed for pocket movement. We’re using equipment people, the coaches — anybody we can to just create small, tight places in the pocket. One thing people forget is the sound of the pocket. What does noise do to most normal people? You flinch. You have to create a focus. So I yell, I do different things.” – David Cutcliffe, via Dan Duggan of the Athletic

How The Added Muscle Helps Daniel Jones

Professional football players are some of the world’s best athletes. Players like Saquon Barkley, Khalil Mack, Jamal Adams, and many others are wildly athletic, talented, and skilled athletes. Of course, when you have players like that in this league, there are going to be players that get run over by them. Getting stronger is always a priority for NFL players to protect their bodies from those exceptional athletes and hard-hitting ballers.

Daniel Jones’s fumbling was an issue last season. But so was the Giants’ offensive line. New York allowed Jones to be sacked 38 times in only 12 games and he was hit or knocked down plenty of other times. It could never hurt to add some more muscle to his frame. Getting stronger will allow Daniel to absorb contact better and grip the ball tighter. Both of these could lead to fewer fumbles. Additionally, a stronger arm for Daniel Jones means more velocity and distance on his throws.

The Giants were blessed to have a hard-working, durable, and classy quarterback lead the team for the last sixteen years. Eli Manning truly is a New York sports legend. It is highly encouraging to already see Daniel Jones following in Eli’s footsteps. Jones has been working diligently this offseason to correct his mistakes and become a better player. It could be an exciting sophomore season for Daniel Jones and the New York Giants.