New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is among the NFL signal-callers without a ton of positive buzz surrounding them before the 2022 season. However, there is some following of supporters who see past the clouded overall image.
Things could have gone better for Jones both within his own play and where the circumstances are concerned in 2021. Even when healthy, the Giants’ quarterback left some more to be desired. The skepticism around him was only made worse because he missed the final six games of the season with a neck injury.
Jones has his shortcomings and is far from a quarterback perceived to be in the elite tier. But it’s not difficult to get the sense he’s better than some of the poor projections that surround him. The 2022 season will have a lot to do with what’s made of Jones and if he ultimately experiences a change of scenery sooner rather than later.
- Daniel Jones contract: $8.365 million salary (2022), 2023 free agent
Reflecting back on the 2021 season
Jones finished out the 2021 season with a 64.3% completion rate, 2,428 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions over 11 games. The completion rate itself represented a career-best mark for the former No. 6 pick. However, he saw statistical dips in other areas compared to his rookie season.
| Daniel Jones stats | Completion % | Pass YPG | YPA | TD-INT | QB Rating | TD % – INT % |
| 2019 | 61.9% | 232.8 | 6.6 | 24-12 | 87.7 | 5.2% – 2.6% |
| 2020 | 62.5% | 210.2 | 6.6 | 11-10 | 80.4 | 2.5% – 2.2% |
| 2021 | 64.3% | 220.7 | 6.7 | 10-7 | 84.8 | 2.8% – 1.9% |
That’s reflective of some of the decision-making errors that Jones must correct, but the stat line never tells the full story. New York had offensive line issues that very much trickled down to the quarterback’s numbers and overall performance. Despite playing behind an offensive line that ranked 25th in PFF’s Pass Blocking Efficiency from Week 1-11, Jones put last year’s problems on himself.
“I’m certainly the one responsible for how I play, and I take that very seriously. I haven’t played well enough. We haven’t won enough games to this point. That’s what I am focused on. And making sure I’m improving as a player as we go through this offseason and into next season, so I am able to put this team in a position to win games.”
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones on his play and 2022 season (ESPN)
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Reports and observations from training camp/preseason
The Giants’ offense as a whole has had its good and bad moments throughout training camp and there were questions about just how cohesively the unit would come together on the field in its first preseason showing.
Based on how the first outing went, there doesn’t appear to be a need for immediate panic at the quarterback position and it seems like Jones is settling in nicely — for the most part.
New York’s offense was moving downfield and seemed to be on the verge of a touchdown in its preseason debut. On the bringing of adding a touchdown to his box score, it became a lost opportunity because of a goal-line drop by wide receiver Kenny Golladay on third down.
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The Giants signal-caller played two series in the team’s 23-21 victory over the New England Patriots, completing 6-of-10 passes for 69 yards. There were positive and negative takeaways from the performance, with many criticizing Jones’ lack of feel for pressure but also noting his impressive throws.
In his defense against the criticism, though, this is primarily a pocket passer quarterback and the offensive line did him absolutely no favors as he took multiple big hits in the preseason outing.
Jones told reporters after the contest that he felt good while he was out on the field and viewed it as a positive start for the offense, something the team will look to build on as it prepares to move into the fall.
“It felt good to get out there and it was just like it used to be. That’s football right? That’s football and I felt good out there. I didn’t think a whole lot about the neck or anything like that. I felt good and it was just football.”
Daniel Jones on playing first preseason game of 2022 season (Pro Football Talk)
2022 outlook for Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Jones and the Giants enter what could be another questionable season and there’s no contract in place for Jones for 2023, so this is something of a prove-it year for him. Staying healthy and putting consistent play on tape will be of paramount importance, and there’s no denying that a quarterback like this will be disadvantageously affected if the offensive line fails to rise to the occasion the way it has done in past years.
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How Jones performs this year could play a large role into both if he stays with the Giants and if he can be a long-term NFL starter. While some of the Giants’ shortcomings have hindered the type of passer Jones is, he has also got to improve his decision-making and cut down on the interceptions. Jones has 49 career turnovers in 38 games, something that can’t cut it in a league like the NFL.
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There are some that are already calling for this to become backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s show and he’s been given a good look, practicing with the 1s at certain points in training camp.
This shows that the coaching staff doesn’t have a problem with giving another player a chance and implies that if Jones struggles, there may not be a ton of hesitation to at least temporarily replace him. But there’s certainly a shot at redemption during the preseason, and it’s reasonable to believe Jones at least opens the season as the starter and is given a fair shot.
Jones seems confident going into this season and is leaning into his experience in his fourth year with the Giants. The team is moving into a new offense that could work to his advantage and help get him to where he needs to be.
“I think I’m a more experienced player. I think I’m a better player than in years past. I feel more comfortable from that standpoint in what I’m seeing and diagnosing what I’m seeing and making decisions. As it relates to this offense and this scheme, it gives a quarterback a lot of options, and it allows for a quarterback to use what he knows and distribute the ball based on that. I’ve enjoyed working in this offense so far, and like I said, we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s been fun working with Coach Daboll and his staff and working in this offense.”
Daniel Jones on his experience working with Brian Daboll, learning new offense
It will be interesting to see how things evolve as the Giants prepare to open the season against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 11 in Nissan Stadium.
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