The 2021 season was supposed to be the year we found out if Daniel Jones was the New York Giants’ long-term solution at quarterback. It was also supposed to be a year in which Big Blue turned a corner and returned relevance again.
Instead, Jones and the Giants left plenty to be desired on the field. Whether Jones is the primary reason to blame or not, many believe New York should move on from the 24-year-old.
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com recently ranked the quarterbacks around the league and had Jones listed at 24th overall. That, coincidentally, is the same rank Jones earned following the 2020 season.
Nothing validated my take that Jones was playing better than his numbers showed quite like watching the Giants try to play without him. It’s impossible to overstate how poor his protection and coaching have been, and he’s shown enough flashes for me to believe he could be an average starter. Whether he can be better than that is the question the Giants need to answer.
In Rosenthal’s explanation, he pinpointed the poor protection and coaching — aspects that may have hindered Jones’ development. That is also something co-owner John Mara acknowledged this offseason, admitting that the organization has done everything possible to screw DJ up.
"We've done everything possible to screw this kid up since he's been here"
John Mara on Daniel Jones: pic.twitter.com/LPwdkiB9fA
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) January 26, 2022
It’s tough to say where the Giants stand with Jones. However, many, including Rex Ryan and Dan Orlovsky have said that head coach Brian Daboll is a fan of Jones.
Still, Jones didn’t move the needle one way or the other in 2021. But on the other side of things, there was plenty of blame to go around between the offensive line, the coaching staff and some big-name weapons underperforming. If the play of the backup QBs in Jones’ absence due to injury showed us anything, it magnified the poor play of the offensive line.
For now, unless something unforeseen happens, Jones will likely be the starter next season. With the Giants in salary cap disarray and an ugly group of quarterback prospects coming in, Jones is likely the best option with the team in rebuild mode once again.
Hopefully, the new coaching staff can get the most out of Jones and mold him into a franchise quarterback soon. If Jones is unable to rank higher on this list following next season, it’s likely because he hasn’t made that big jump and ultimately Big Blue may have to move on.
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