The New York Giants currently have four quarterbacks on their roster. Training camp takes place at the end of July and there will be a position battle between the Giants’ quarterbacks. Except, the competition is not for the starting job.
The Giants have committed to Eli Manning as their starting quarterback for the 2019 NFL season. Behind Eli is rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones is going to spend the season learning behind Manning and preparing to take over in the near future.
Behind Manning and Jones are two quarterbacks who are going to compete for the third-string quarterback job. Alex Tanney recently signed an extension with New York, so he might get the job. However, the Giants also have Kyle Lauletta.
Kyle Lauletta Fits The Rebuilding Model
Kyle Lauletta was drafted by the New York Giants in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He saw barely any playing time in his rookie season, despite fans being pretty high on him.
Now heading into his sophomore season, the question is not when Giants fans will get to see him play, rather, it is whether or not he will still be with the Giants. It is highly unlikely the Giants keep four quarterbacks on their roster in the regular season. So who will be the third quarterback on the roster? Kyle Lauletta or Alex Tanney?
Kyle Lauletta’s youth could be a major advantage in this positional battle. The Giants are in a full rebuild. They traded away star players, such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon, and they drafted a quarterback with the 6th pick in the NFL Draft.
Being only one year into his career, Kyle Lauletta is only 24 years old. Alex Tanney is 31 years old. Tanney provides valuable veteran, backup experience. This experience could be beneficial to the quarterback room as Tanney could provide the heir apparent Daniel Jones with helpful advice.
However, Eli Manning already provides veteran leadership and experience. Is it necessary to keep two veterans on this rebuilding roster? Kyle Lauletta might not ever get a chance to be the starter in New York. However, he could be a career backup for the Giants, and as the team shifts to a more youthful approach, Lauletta might be the perfect match.
Daniel Jones is a year or two away from becoming the next franchise quarterback. At that point in his career, will he really need an older, veteran quarterback to mentor him? Would Alex Tanney even still be in the NFL? At 31 years old, it is possible that Tanney retires relatively soon.
Kyle Lauletta young and has tons of untapped potential. If the Giants decide to go with a youthful approach, Lauletta could stick around and backup Daniel Jones for a long time. Lauletta could stick around a lot longer than Tanney could stick around for.
Kyle Lauletta Stats And Highlights
The Giants drafted Kyle Lauletta in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft, 108th overall. He stands in at 6 feet 3 inches, 215 pounds. Lauletta won Senior Bowl MVP last year, prompting Big Blue to take him in the draft.
Lauletta was a solid signal-caller during his collegiate years at Richmond. In his senior season, Lauletta threw for 3,737 yards and 28 touchdowns, with only 12 interceptions. He also added some mobility, rushing for 90 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Kyle Lauletta was really impressive in college. However, he had some flaws as a prospect. Kyle was a raw prospect who was noted to need work on the small things: footwork drops from under center, taking snaps from under center, improving arm strength and sensing pressure in the pocket.
These issues showed up in Kyle Lauletta’s only playing time in the 2018 season. Kyle got some snaps during the Giants’ Week 14 blowout win against the Washington Redskins. They, unfortunately, did not go well for Lauletta. The rookie was not ready for NFL action as he threw five passes, all incomplete, with one interception.
Kyle Lauletta had plenty of talent coming out of college. He has yet to live up to that talent, but he has not had many opportunities. The Giants could hold on to Kyle Lauletta and develop him into a backup for Daniel Jones.