Giants coach Brian Daboll anticipates that most of New York’s projected starters will play in the team’s first preseason game against the Patriots on Thursday.
Daboll would not elaborate on how much the starters would play, and told reporters that it would be dictated on a case-by-case basis.
That, of course, means that starting quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley will likely get some early playing time as the team implements a new offensive scheme.
It’s put up or shut up time for Jones, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Giants elected to decline the fifth-year player option on Jones, who is now slated to enter free agency after the season.
If Jones has a big year in a new offensive scheme under Daboll, there’s a chance that he could receive a new contract with the Giants and remain the team’s franchise quarterback moving forward.
In three seasons as the starting quarterback, Jones has completed 62.8% of his passes for 8,398 yards and 45 touchdowns to 29 interceptions.
As for Barkley, he is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, and his health remains a question mark.
Barkley played in just two games in 2020, and missed three games each in 2019 and 2021. In his four seasons, he’s rushed for 2,937 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, and has added 1,482 yards on 190 receptions and eight touchdowns as a pass-catcher.
In Barkley’s 13 games last season, he rushed for just 593 yards and two touchdowns. It was the worst statistical season of his career when he has participated in at least 13 games or more.
Could Daboll lead Jones and Barkley to new heights offensively in 2022? Time will tell, but it’s clear that they will dive headfirst into game preparation beginning with the first preseason matchup on Thursday.
