The pendulum of opinion on Daniel Jones has swung wildly in recent years and some might argue it has now swung too far in one direction.
In his recent 2024 NFL quarterback power rankings, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has ranked the New York Giants starter dead last in the league. Not only is Jones ranked last, but he’s ranked below other quarterbacks who have never taken a snap and may not actually earn a starting role in 2024.
The Giants reportedly dabbled with replacing their rehabbing investment, whose ball-security issues returned behind a porous line in 2023. Perhaps Malik Nabers can restore his fortunes.
Among those ahead of Jones, who won a road playoff game in 2022, are Bo Nix (No. 30), Jayden Daniels (No. 28), and J.J. McCarthy (No. 25), who the Giants passed over in favor of a Jones-Nabers combo.
Also ahead of Jones are the likes of Bryce Young (No. 31), Gardner Minshew (No. 29), Jacoby Brissett (No. 27), and Anthony Richardson (No. 24).
The criticism of Jones — especially related to his injury history — is fair and warranted, but making the case that he’s worse than rookie quarterbacks who aren’t even in minicamp yet is illogical. It’s an inherently dishonest exercise with the sole purpose of fueling an echo chamber.
And make no mistake about it, these weren’t “future rankings.” Benjamin specifically notes that these power rankings are sorted by “today’s signal-callers right now.”
Well, “right now,” there’s no foundation to stand on when arguing that rookies are better than Jones or any other quarterback with actual starting experience in the NFL.
