Fans around the league scoffed when the New York Giants selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
But it turns out, Jones could be seeing the field sooner than expected.
When asked about his quarterback situation at minicamp, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur left the door open for there to be a heated battle for the starting spot.
“I think we’re going to play the very best player,” he said. “I know we’re dancing around the words there. Eli is getting ready to have a great year, and Daniel is getting ready to play. We’ll see what happens with it … The players that give our team the best chance to win play. That’s period. We’ve seen Eli do that for a very long time, so we’ll see what happens as we go down the road.”
As offseason program closes, Pat Shurmur seems to set the stage for a quarterback competition in training camp between Eli Manning and Daniel Jones.
Cryptic to say the least.
Manning is coming off a season where he finished with 4,299 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and showed struggles on downfield throws.
Even with OBJ on the roster last year, Eli Manning finished with an average depth of target of just 7.82 yards.
The two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback has accomplished quite a bit in what could be a Hall of Fame career. But he’s been on his way down for some time. Among the lowlights of his steady downhill progression includes being replaced by Geno Smith in 2017 and former star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. calling him out on ESPN last year.
“Like I said, I feel like he’s not going to get out the pocket. He’s not — we know Eli’s not running it,” he said. “But is it a matter of time issue? Can he still throw it, yeah, but it’s been pretty safe and it’s been, you know, cool catching shallow and trying to take it to the house. But I’m, you know, I want to go over the top of somebody.”
The Giants have not made the playoffs since 2016.
GettyEli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. with the New York Giants.
NFC East Loaded With QB Talent
While it’s good for the Giants to start thinking about the future with who they believe will be their franchise QB down the road, the contrast to other NFC East teams is not great.
The Eagles recently locked up Carson Wentz with a new deal, cementing him as the starter, and the Dallas Cowboys are expected to do the same for Dak Prescott before the season.
The Redskins had well-documented QB problems last season — starting Mark Sanchez at one point — but are looking to fill a void left behind by Alex’s Smith with rookie Dwayne Haskins, who the team selected with the No. 15 pick.
Jones passed for 8201 yards and 52 touchdowns during his three years at Duke. He also tossed 29 interceptions.
The selection of Jones, 22, made waves in the football world, but the Giants sound impressed so far with what the rookie has done.
“He’s one of those guys that in a pickup game in any sport, you’re probably going to pick him pretty close to the top,” Giants offensive coordinator Mike Shula told USA Today.
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The New York Giants Have a Quarterback Battle Brewing