New York Giants’ Pat Shurmur on Eric Dungey: Usually There’s A Place For Good Players

The New York Giants have signed undrafted free agent, Eric Dungey.
Dec 28, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; Syracuse Orange quarterback Eric Dungey (2) runs the ball past West Virginia Mountaineers linebacker David Long Jr. (11) during the second quarter in the 2018 Camping World Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Dungey is one of the more interesting acquisitions that the New York Giants made recently following the NFL Draft. The Syracuse quarterback was picked up after going undrafted and joins number six overall pick Daniel Jones on the team, as another possible competitor for last season’s backup quarterback Kyle Lauletta.

It looks like Lauletta could very well be out of the plans of the Giants and Dungey could be the one brought in to replace him and take up the role as the potential third string quarterback for the Giants this year. After all, while Dungey went undrafted, he has a unique status as one of the more popular unselected quarterbacks. About five teams were interested at the time that Dungey chose the Giants, but at the end of the day, it was New York that came away with the player.

But Dungey’s role might not be the same as that of the other quarterbacks on the roster at this point, namely Eli Manning and Daniel Jones. Many have said that Jones was picked because of sharing some traits with Manning, but Dungey on the other hand has a fairly different play style and that could be a strength.

It’s something that head coach Pat Shurmur has remarked on.

“He was a key guy, a guy that we targeted. He is a very accomplished quarterback and made a lot of plays with his feet. He made some good throws out there as well. He is one of those guys we had our eyes on at the draft. We will see. I think he is a good football player. Usually there is a place on the field for good football players. We will see what happens,” Shurmur said about Dungey.

Out of the quarterbacks on the roster, the undrafted Dungey isn’t expected to see much time on the field but could end up getting game action before Daniel Jones just because of the difference in their roles. Dungey does something different for the Giants and could be useful as a situational quarterback while Jones is essentially expected to become a copy of Eli Manning in the best of future scenarios.

It will be something to keep an eye on during the offseason. Just about everyone has accepted that Daniel Jones is being set up as the successor to Eli Manning. But what will happen with Kyle Lauletta, Eric Dungey, and any other quarterbacks on the roster at the start of the preseason? That’s still very much up for debate.