Should the New York Giants be concerned with Daniel Jones’ turnover issues?

New York Giants, Daniel Jones
Sep 14, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree (48) hits the arm of New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) resulting in an interception during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Jones and the New York Giants lost their second straight game of the season on Sunday in Chicago. It was an ugly game all-around for Daniel Jones and the offense. Similar to week one, the Giants were not able to push the needle offensively and could not get anything going. They ended up putting up less than twenty points and 300 yards offensively for the second straight week.

While there are a lot of factors that have contributed to the lack of ability from Big Blue offensively, the biggest one so far has been Daniel Jones’ turnover issues. Jones has had two turnovers each of the last three games he has played. 

Turnovers are always some of the worst things to commit in football, and Daniel Jones has become the master of it in his short NFL career. Turnovers are momentum killers and end drives, usually resulting in points for the other team. 

Due to this, decision-making and ball security were both a big emphasis put on Daniel Jones this offseason. However, it does not seem the message has sunk in for Jones as he has already thrown three interceptions and committed one fumble in only two games.

This is clearly an issue for the sophomore quarterback and his team, but the question is, will these turnovers continue?

College Years

Daniel Jones was obviously a great college quarterback and prospect as he threw for 8,201 yards and 52 touchdowns with minimal help. This helped him become one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft class and become the sixth overall pick in the draft (the second quarterback selected).

However, turnovers were still a prevalent issue for Jones in his collegiate years. The former Duke Blue Devil quarterback threw 29 interceptions in only 36 career college games. To make matters worse, Jones also fumbled the ball 19 times in college, creating 48 total turnovers. 

Taking care of the football has clearly been an issue that Jones has dealt with for several years now. It is one that he hoped to fix in his rookie season, but that attempt proved to be fruitless.

As A Rookie

Daniel Jones’ NFL career ended up starting with a turnover. 

In his first game, Jones ended up fumbling the ball on his only rushing attempt during a 17-35 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The Duke alumni would then go to fumble twice in his first-ever start at Tampa Bay.

This would begin a long trend of turning over the ball, which lasted throughout the rest of his rookie season. Daniel Jones would end up fumbling the ball 15 more times to add up to a league-high 18 fumbles. 

Unfortunately for Jones and co., fumbling was not the only issue in his freshman year. Jones also threw 12 interceptions last season, making him responsible for 30 total turnovers. This was an extremely high number considering he only appeared in 13 games. 

Hope for improvement with the New York Giants?

While the numbers in the first 15 games of his career look grim for Danny Dimes, there is always hope.

A big part of Jones’ turnover issues was the constant pressure he received last season. Jones was sacked 38 times in 2019. This equated to a sack on 7.6% of dropbacks. Taking into account the numerous quarterback hits and consistent pressure Jones was under, this was nowhere near a great way to nurture a young, developing quarterback.

Sadly for Jones, things have not gotten much better in this department in 2020. Daniel Jones has already been sacked seven times and has been pressured on 56 of his 88 dropbacks. The situation has actually gotten worse for him, inhibiting any potential development.

If the Giants can find a way to protect Daniel Jones before its too late, he could have the turnaround that many expect him to have. A quick change after pervasive turnovers is something that has happened numerous times before, and two examples of this are Peyton Manning and Lamar Jackson.

Manning began his career with a league-high 28 interceptions. Many pundits painted Manning to be a failed first overall pick and a huge bust for Indianapolis. However, Manning quickly silenced his critics, cutting his interceptions to 15 and making his first of many pro bowls. 

As for Jackson, he led the league in fumbles his rookie year despite only starting seven games. The 12 fumbles from Lamar were a big concern for many going into 2020 with his athletic playstyle. However, like Manning, Jackson was able to prove his doubters wrong during his sophomore campaign, where he would end up only fumbling nine times in 15 starts and winning league MVP.

While Jones does not appear to be on the same level as these two former MVP quarterbacks, there is no doubt that he possesses talent. It may not come this year, but Jones definitely has the talent to put things together, and if he has the right supporting cast, it could become a possibility.

Things could also go the other way for Daniel Jones as he could succumb to the pressure and end up making his turnover problem a long-term issue. 

Jones taking care of the ball is clearly a concern for the Giants as of now, but only time will tell if the turnovers will continue to be an issue for him and the team.