One of the issues surrounding the New York Giants’ decision to stick with fourth-year former first rounder Daniel Jones as quarterback this season was his health.
Jones missed the final six games of last season with a neck injury and there was no clarity on his ailment. Even as Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll took over for Joe Judge and Dave Gettleman, uncertainty lingered.
But on Tuesday at the annual NFL owners meetings at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Jones’ neck would not keep him from taking the field this spring at the team’s OTAs. Those will take place next month.
Great news: Brian Daboll says Daniel Jones (neck) will be healthy and ready to go when the #Giants hit the field this spring https://t.co/Bvim1Makbw
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) March 29, 2022
Jones’ fifth-year option is due in May and the Giants want to see if he is worth hitching their wagon to. His first three seasons were riddled with injuries — both his and his teammates’ — and as a result, his play was a wild rollercoaster ride with more more dips than rises.
“We have until May 2 to decide that,” Schoen said on Monday. “Like I said at the combine, we’re going to still continue to develop that and consider that. With guys coming in in two weeks (for the start of the offseason program), it’s a real advantage. We’ll get to be around guys in the building for four weeks or three weeks before the draft and have a veteran minicamp right before the draft. Again, we’ll continue to have those conversations as we move forward.”
The Giants were stung last season by a lack of readiness and depth at the quarterback position. Jones’ injury left the Giants in the hands of Mike Glennon and then Jake Fromm, neither of whom could rally the offense.
This year, Schoen has already made sure the Giants are sufficiently covered at quarterback. He signed veteran Tyrod Taylor to back up Jones.
“It was a priority,” said Schoen of the backup quarterback role. “I go back to — I can’t remember if it was my opening press conference or I said it at the combine to you guys, backup quarterback would always be a priority of mine.
“Where I was last year, we got a little bit lucky at the value that we were able to get at what we thought was a good player at that value. I go back to my time in Miami, Ryan Tannehill gets hurt, tears his ACL, Matt Moore came in, kept the season alive and we went to the playoffs. We lost to Pittsburgh, but again, I think that’s an important position to have where someone can come in and steady the ship and win a few ballgames for you and it doesn’t completely decimate your season.”
Even before signing Taylor, both Schoen and Daboll reached out to Jones. They made it clear to him he’ll be the starting quarterback in 2022 with Taylor the backup.
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