Giants New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones delivers a perfect strike in practice.
After missing the last six games of the 2021 season due to a neck injury, fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones is now entering a make-or-break season with the New York Giants. The new regime under general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll decided not to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option earlier this month, meaning he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2023.
Back in early April, Jones said his neck injury was no longer a concern. So far this spring, the highlights from Giants practice have proved that he was telling the truth.
Watch this video from the Giants’ official Twitter account and see for yourself: Does this look like a lame-duck quarterback who’s coming off a season-ending injury?
Jones looks fully healthy in this clip. He’s moving well — both in the pocket and outside it — and he delivers a perfectly accurate strike while throwing on the run. This is a good sign, but it’s only a small sampling of what the Giants expect to see from their starting quarterback in 2022.
Here’s Jones linking up with a live receiver (Kenny Golladay), via SNY Giants Videos:
Daniel Jones to Kenny Golladay
For a wider view of Jones working within an offensive formation, here’s a clip of him handing the ball off to running back Saquon Barkley and then delivering another on-the-run throw (via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY).
Daniel Jones doing work and looking healthy.
Jones has looked super smooth this spring, and a lot of that can probably be attributed to his comfort level with Daboll and the rest of his new coaching staff.
Daniel Jones is ‘Confident’ in Brian Daboll’s System
If there’s one word to describe the way Jones is feeling heading into a prove-it year, it’s probably the word “confident.” He used the word three times in this 33-second video clip from a recent press conference.
Daniel Jones is feeling confident in the new offense
Watch full interview: t.co/Dksn3zqakS
“I’m certainly confident in myself,” Jones said (via GiantsTV on Twitter). “I’m confident in the team we have, in the coaches, in the system. I think we’re all learning it, and we’re improving daily with it. There’s a lot of reasons to be confident when you look at all those pieces.”
Part of that confidence might be coming from the positive reinforcement Jones is receiving on the practice field. Check out this recent mic’d up clip of Daboll, where he praises his quarterback for going through his progressions at practice.
“Good shot, Daniel!” Daboll yells in the video. “That’s the way to read through your progression, buddy!”
As the Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018-2021, Daboll oversaw the rise of quarterback Josh Allen from raw draft prospect to Pro Bowler. The Giants are hoping Daboll will have a similar impact on Jones in this crucial season for the former first-round draft pick.
Pro Football Focus Gives Daniel Jones an Bold Superlative
Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus recently highlighted the most underrated player on all 32 NFL teams, and the player he selected for the Giants was Daniel Jones.
Here’s what Monson wrote about Jones:
The Giants overdrafted Jones at No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, but since then he has had an ugly situation around him that has only deteriorated. His box score statistics (21 touchdowns to 17 interceptions over the past two seasons) have belied better play, and had his offensive line not fallen to rack and ruin, we may have seen a player who the team had full confidence in going forward rather than a man at the last chance saloon. Jones isn’t a superstar quarterback by any means, but he has played better in a bad situation than people give him credit for. And that situation should have improved in dramatic fashion this offseason. Don’t be surprised if we see a significant bump in Jones’ PFF grade from the 70.0s into the 80.0s.
Jones is now working under his third different head coach in four NFL seasons, but the Giants are hoping Daboll will be the charm.
Comments
Daniel Jones Doesn’t Look Like a Lame-Duck QB Coming Off Serious Injury: Watch