Will the New York Giants find a way to give their first-round pick a chance to start in 2019?
One of the more weighted objections against drafting quarterback Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft was that he wouldn’t start immediately. The New York Giants passed on stud pass-rusher Josh Allen in favor of the Duke passer, and he will sit in the QB3 role to start the season.
The idea of him starting a game in 2019 or even replacing Eli Manning during the game surely excites the mind — everybody wants to see what he’s capable of and if this pick has the potential to develop into everything GM Dave Gettleman hoped and more.
However, there are only a few scenarios in which Jones could earn playing time.
The 3 scenarios where New York Giants’ Daniel Jones would earn playing time:
1.) Eli Manning plays poorly
We’ve seen Eli play some pretty horrendous games, and only former HC Ben McAdoo had the gonads to pull the trigger on replacing him. Shortly after, he was run out of town, ending Manning’s consecutive playing streak and giving Geno Smith a chance to prove his worth. Last time I checked, Smith is featuring as the backup for the Seattle Seahawks – he will never play a game there if Russell Wilson is healthy.
Jones would be the next man up likely even if he’s the QB3 for a majority of the season. I simply cannot imagine the Giants walking Alex Tanney out there and acting as they can compete in an NFL game. Maybe a tier-2 college school, but Jones immediately leap-frogs Tanney in this situation.
2.) Eli Manning gets injured
The Iron Man will most likely not get injured in 2019…if history has taught us anything. Manning has never missed a game due to injury, and this is through the terrible years of offensive line play and taking a beating nearly every Sunday. Gettleman made it a priority to fix the offensive front, investing capital and draft picks into its solidifying.
However, this is the second way Jones could earn playing time in the season ahead. This is an unlikely scenario, but if we recall, nobody thought Odell Beckham Jr. would actually be traded.
knock on wood for this entire scenario
3.) Daniel Jones looks THAT good
The most optimistic option of all is that Jones looks so good that they have no choice but to play him. This will most certainly not happen, as even playing extremely well in practice does not guarantee it will translate to games. This season is surely a developmental one that will see Jones sitting on the bench learning the ropes from the veteran signal callers.
He will be watching Manning closely in regards to his preparation and that’s about as far as HC Pat Shurmur really wants to push him.