It may have only been a single snap, but Tyrod Taylor is getting a chance to play with the first team in New York Giants training camp as incumbent starter Daniel Jones continues to struggle.
As The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reported, Jones was pulled for a play during practice on August 8, giving the former Buffalo Bills starter a chance to take a rep with the first-team offense. The shake-up came after Jones missed on several passes and took a sack on another, leading to a testy exchange between the Giants quarterback and head coach Brian Daboll.
“It was jarring to see Jones removed for one snap during the first team period of the day,” Duggan wrote. “Taylor got his first rep of camp with the starting offense, completing a short pass to wide receiver Kadarius Toney, before Jones returned.”
Though Jones still has a grip on the starting job, Taylor has impressed in training camp and could have a chance to take over if the struggles continue.
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Taylor’s Strong Showing
As Duggan noted, Taylor has looked noticeably sharper than Jones through the first 10 practices of Giants training camp. Though the Giants appear committed to the fourth-year Jones as the starter when the season begins, it is now a strong possibility that Taylor could take over at some point.
“There isn’t going to be a quarterback controversy after one first-team rep for Taylor. But the ice has at least been cracked,” Duggan wrote.
Tyrod Taylor has an absolutely gorgeous deep ball…
Awesome catch as well 🔥
The pressure could build if Taylor were to continue performing well in the preseason.
Pressure Could Build on Jones
While Duggan and others have downplayed the significance of Jones being benched for a rep, there is also a belief that the Giants have Jones on a short leash this season. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports wrote that given the number of playmakers the Giants have added, Taylor may be the best bet at starter this season.
Taylor has not been a regular starter since leaving the Bills after the 2017 season, when he helped lead the team to the playoffs for the first time in 17 seasons. Taylor did start six games for the Houston Texans last season, completing 60.7 percent of his passes for 966 yards with 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Since joining the Giants in March, Taylor has made it clear that he understands his place in the depth chart and is not publicly challenging Jones for the starting job. But Taylor said he is still preparing as if he were the starter.
“I view it as coming in, obviously, learning the offense, pushing the guys in the room, and just going out and putting my best foot forward each day,” Taylor told the Giants’ official website in March. “My process since I’ve been drafted in 2011 has been to prepare as the starter. Obviously, at the quarterback position you never know when your number is called. You want to be able to go in and play at a high level. So, that’s my focus. I’ll continue to keep working as we get back in the swing of things in April.”
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Ex-Bills QB Takes Starting Rep For Giants as Daniel Jones Struggles