When the (4-7) New York Giants take the field on Sunday against the (5-7) Miami Dolphins, they’ll do so without their starting quarterback Daniel Jones.
On Friday the Giants officially ruled Jones out due to a neck strain that he suffered last Sunday in the Giants 13-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Earlier in the week, Jones said he was preparing to play against the Dolphins, but he’s still not been cleared for contact.
While no one can question Jones’s toughness, this marks the third season that Jones will miss time due to an injury.
During his rookie season in 2019, Jones missed two games due to a sprained ankle, and the following season he missed two games due to a hamstring injury. In addition, he was knocked out in the second quarter with a concussion in the Giants 44-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys this season.
New York Giants still scrambling for starting quarterback
Everyone knew that it was unlikely that Jones would have the same durability as his predecessor Eli Manning, who started 210 consecutive games. But the fact that he has yet to play a full season is a major concern.
This is why when Giants ownership and whoever is the general manager is in the offseason, must make the decision to not grant Jones his fifth-year option, which would make him a free agent following the 2022 season.
At this moment nobody can honestly say for certain, that Jones is the right guy to lead the Giants into the future.
In addition to his injury history what has plagued Jones the most is his turnovers. In the 38 games Jones has played in, he has 50 total touchdowns and 49 total turnovers. It’s next to impossible to build a championship-caliber team when your quarterback turns the ball over that frequently.
Turnovers played a huge part in Jones having a 12-25 record as a starter.
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2022 provides last opportunity for success with Daniel Jones in NY
To be fair to Jones, he’s played the entirety of his career behind a subpar offensive line and has seldom played with a healthy Saquon Barkley.
With all that said, if Jones had the makings of an elite quarterback, he would have shown the ability to lift his team to respectability. Instead, the Giants have scored the fewest touchdowns in the NFL since the start of the 2020 season.
So again, it would be in the best interest of the Giants franchise not to give Jones his fifth-year option. They can have him be the starter for the 2022 season to give him a chance once and for all, that he has what it takes to play at a high level. Or they can look to move one from Jones and use their two 1st round draft picks and try to acquire Russell Wilson who will turn 34 next November.
The Giants will have to make several difficult decisions in the coming weeks and months, and perhaps the most important one will be what to do with their 24-year old quarterback.
