The New York Giants have likely found the quarterback they’ll be with for the next years in Daniel Jones, but the verdict around the league still isn’t decided on just how good or not Jones is. Some have praised Jones for his skill as a rookie and some believe the Giants have a franchise quarterback on their hands, but others have pointed out problems like Jones making a number of turnovers during his rookie season and have chosen to rate the former Duke standout lower because of it.
The QB Index on NFL.com leans towards the more cynical side when it comes to looking at how Jones performed over the last season, at least in where they actually chose to rank him. Jones was praised, but comes in at 23rd, which is somewhat acceptable but isn’t all that high for starting quarterbacks – it puts him below Jameis Winston, Philip Rivers, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and others who aren’t exactly the flashiest names in the league.
The ranking was, of course, explained by both the positives and negatives surrounding Jones, ranging from his good performance as a rookie to his fumbling tendency.
Jones became the third rookie of all time to have three or more games throwing four-plus pass TDs (joining Deshaun Watson and Fran Tarkenton). Aside from the fumbles (lost 11, tied for the most in a single season since at least 1992), the once-maligned sixth overall pick of the 2019 draft gave Giants fans reason for optimism.
With that being said, after moving on from Eli Manning and having struggled to find a replacement during previous years, the Giants could be doing far worse right now than their current position, with a middle tier quarterback.
Jones can rise in most rankings with some time spent improving in the offseason, and will benefit from entering next season with further experience. Or he could suffer from the sophomore slump and fall further back. At this point, it’s still a bit too early to know.