Getty Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants looks on before the game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The inevitable has happened. The New York Giants have decided to shut down quarterback Daniel Jones for the remainder of the season, placing him on injured reserve. The news, which was first reported by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan and since confirmed by the team, comes on the heels of the third-year pro missing his third consecutive start with a neck injury. Raanan notes that there is “optimism” the injury will not affect Jones’ “long-term future.”
Ronnie Barnes, the Giants’ Senior Vice President and Medical Services/Head Athletic Trainer released the following statement on Jones, via the team’s official website:
Over the course of the past few weeks, Daniel has been examined by Dr. Frank Cammisa of Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Robert Watkins of the Marina Spine Center at Marina Del Rey Hospital. Our medical team has continued to consult with Dr. Cammisa and Dr. Watkins regarding Daniel’s condition and symptoms, and at this point, Daniel has not been cleared for contact. We felt the prudent decision was to place Daniel on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. With continued rest and treatment, we expect a full recovery.
Jones Done in New York?
Jones’ 2021 campaign comes to a premature end after just 11 games. While the former Duke Blue Devil did show flashes early in the year and cut down some on his turnovers, the jury still remains out on if Jones is the answer under center for New York. He finished this season completing a career-best 64.3% of his passes, but tossed only 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions. In 37 career starts, Jones owns a win-loss record of 12-25.
With the Giants projected to have two top-six picks in April’s upcoming NFL draft and rumors of Russell Wilson interested in joining the team running rampant, questions surrounding Jones’ staying power in East Rutherford will surely be a primary topic of discussion this offseason.
Still, despite talks of future changes at the position, head coach Joe Judge has remained publically committed to the 24-year-old signal-caller.
“I feel good about Daniel already,” Judge told reporters on December 15. “I want him to keep growing and developing his craft. Obviously, he’s a great asset to our team. You want to have him available to play with the team. That’s obviously something that we’re not keeping secret. There’s not really much more to say past that. Daniel’s done a good job growing for us. We’re going to keep on pushing forward with him.”
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Jake Fromm Time?
While the former Georgia standout would certainly have an uphill battle to position himself as a legitimate starting candidate for the Giants next season, a few strong showings to close out the year could put him in a position to lock down the No. 2 spot in New York.
Fromm made his NFL debut in garbage time in the Giants’ blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15 and impressed some in spot duty. Relieving Mike Glennon after a horrific three-interception showing, Fromm finished the afternoon completing 6-of-12 passes for 82 yards — seemingly enough to open the door for him to make his first career start next Sunday vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We got to a point in the game where I wanted to see what Jake could do, point blank,” Judge said following the Cowboys loss. “We weren’t doing enough moving the ball otherwise, so I wanted to make sure I had the chance to see Jake and that will obviously open up a conversation about what we’re going to do this week. We’ll talk about it as a staff and we’ll make the best decision for the team.”