The New York Giants could be homing in on their newest quarterback as the franchise brought in free agent Jacob Eason for a workout.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported the news, stating: “Jacob Eason is working out for the Giants on Tuesday [Nov. 7], per source. Giants are looking to add a quarterback with Daniel Jones out for year and Tyrod Taylor on IR.”
Jacob Eason is working out for the #Giants on Tuesday, per source. Giants are looking to add a quarterback with Daniel Jones out for year and Tyrod Taylor on IR.
Eason had a tryout with the Giants in the spring. He played a game for the Colts and Panthers the last two years.
“Eason had a tryout with the Giants in the spring,” Raanan added, noting that “[the QB] played a game for [both] the [Indianapolis] Colts and [Carolina] Panthers the last two years.”
Giants QB Workout Jacob Eason Credited With ‘Elite Size & Arm Talent’ Out of College
Eason was a big-time quarterback prospect in 2020 that some projected as high as the second round. In the end, he fell to round four where the Colts scooped him up.
Part of Eason’s downside was his “issues with pocket poise and getting through progressions,” according to NFL Network scouting expert Lance Zierlein. The 6-foot-6 passer was compared to former Denver Broncos draft pick Brock Osweiler in that regard.
Having said that, Zierlein also praised his “elite size and arm talent” at the time — which was more reminiscent of three-time Pro Bowler Carson Palmer.
“Eason is fun to watch when he’s ripping throws around the field and taking deep play-action shots, but a lack of mobility inside and outside the pocket is troubling, considering his ineffectiveness when pressured,” the scout detailed. “He’s relatively inexperienced and should continue to develop from the pocket, but poise is hard to fix, and handling exotic blitz packages is not a given.”
Ahead of the 2020 draft, Zierlein concluded that Eason was “a pro-style, play-action-based quarterback with average starter potential and an average backup floor.”
Since then, Eason has struggled to make his mark at the NFL level. The Washington gunslinger’s talent is still there at age 25, but he’s in need of some development.
Starting with the Colts, Eason has already bounced around four different NFL organizations, including the Seattle Seahawks, Panthers (twice) and San Francisco 49ers.
He’s dangerously close to falling out of the league altogether, but this could be a tremendous opportunity for him considering the Giants are in dire straits at quarterback. Eason has gone five-of-10 passing over 12 regular season snaps, with 84 yards, four first downs and two interceptions.
With Big Blue, he’d profile as a dart throw that could eventually compete with rookie UDFA Tommy DeVito for a long-term role as a backup.
Giants Insider Reveals How He’d Approach QB Plan for Remainder of 2023 Season
The Athletic’s NYG media insider Dan Duggan first suggested a move like this when he highlighted six young practice squad quarterbacks that the Giants could target on November 6.
He explained his rationale in a follow-up post on X.
“How I’d approach the QB plan the rest of the way,” Duggan began. “No way can they commit to DeVito for the final eight games. I’d give him the next two weeks as the starter (Dallas probably going to be a bloodbath) and then reassess.”
“If [DeVito’s] showing promise, continue to ride it out,” he went on. “If it’s [Jake] Fromm 2.0, you go to Matt Barkley against the [New England] Patriots and then reset at the bye.”
“Maybe Tyrod [Taylor] will be ready [after the bye],” Duggan added, “or whatever young QB you bring in this week will have had four weeks in the system by then. Could then start him out of the bye.”
That “young QB” could be Eason. The Giants next three opponents before the bye are the Dallas Cowboys on the road, Washington Commanders on the road and Patriots at home.
It feels like head coach Brian Daboll will roll with either DeVito or Barkley as his starter until they return in Week 14.
“I know most fans are rooting for the QB who will produce the most losses,” Duggan acknowledged at the bottom of his post, “but from a team perspective, it’d be nice to at least find a cheap young backup over the next eight games, whether it’s DeVito or another random QB [prospect].”
Comments
Giants Work Out Former 4th-Round QB Talent: Report