New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been arguably the most polarizing player on the roster since being drafted in 2019. After recording 24 touchdowns during his rookie season, there was hope Jones could develop into a franchise-caliber passer before Jason Garrett instituted a lackluster scheme and the offensive line flailed to achieve even average play.
Work ethic has never been a concern for Jones, who spends his time efficiently on his craft. Jones puts in the time and effort to improve his pocket awareness and body control every off-season. That ethic hasn’t shifted this off-season, spending time at Duke with QB Country.
“My focus is on preparing myself, and I take full responsibility for how I’ve played, and we haven’t won enough games,” Jones said last week. “We haven’t scored enough points. We haven’t done things well enough. I take responsibility for that. As a quarterback, you play a big role in those things. So, that’s what I’m focused on. I’m working on improving and making sure that myself as well as the offense, as well as the team, is ready to go and we’re improving daily.”
Daniel Jones getting that WORK in — pocket movement and body control.
Gotta say, I respect his grind big time ?
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) April 12, 2022
Jones clearly carries a lot of accountability for the Giants’ performance the past few seasons, despite negative factors working against him. There’s a lot left for Jones to fix regarding his game, considering quarterbacks on bad teams have shown far more resiliency and production.
Just take a look at Joe Barrow on the Cincinnati Bengals, playing behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. He managed to carry them to the Super Bowl, showing what great quarterback play can do for a team. Shift your attention to Davis Mills of the Houston Texans, a 3rd round rookie from last year. The Texans were expected to be even worse than the Giants in 2021. Mills finished with 2,664 yards, and 16 touchdown passes to go with a 66.8% completion rate. Altogether, Mills’ statistics dwarf Jones, who failed miserably to convert in the red zone despite having a number of offensive weapons at his disposal.
There are reasons to love and hate Jones, but the Giants have to make a decision on his 5th-year option immediately after the 2022 NFL draft. The draft will give us a good idea of what they will do, depending on if they trade back and acquire a 2023 first-round pick or stay put and take a best player available approach.
One way or another, the jury is still out on DJ, and he needs to prove a lot before management can fully commit to him as the franchise quarterback of the New York Giants.