The New York Giants have made it clear that Daniel Jones is their starting quarterback, even though they signed Tyrod Taylor and turned down Jones’ fifth-year option this offseason. Jones is the starter in New York, but there are signs that may not be the case for the entire season.
Tuesday was another example, as head coach Brian Daboll admitted that Taylor will have the opportunity to play with the first offensive team this preseason. Is there a short leash on Jones?
“We’ll talk about what we think is best,” Daboll said, via SNY. “But I have full faith in Daniel (Jones) and full faith in Tyrod (Taylor) and his role. Every day we sit here and assess guys but will he (Taylor) get a few repetitions here or there? He forces.”
Daboll has confirmed that Jones’ starting job isn’t on the line, but he wants Taylor to be ready to come into a game should anything happen to Jones this year.
“I learned from a very good coach a while ago that he usually doesn’t tell these guys when he starts them because that’s the substitute’s job: you have to come in in a split second.” Dabol said.
“You have to be in there, ready to go, so I don’t necessarily think we’ll tell those guys when that happens.”
If Jones’ starting job may be in jeopardy, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Jones struggled in his third year with the Giants, as he completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,428 yards with 10 touchdowns on seven interceptions for an 84.8 passer rating. In three seasons, Jones completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 45 touchdowns and 29 interceptions (84.3 rating).
A poor offensive line hasn’t helped Jones succeed in the NFL, but Jones has 36 fumbles in 38 games, and the Giants are just 12-25 in his starts. Jones has 49 turnovers since the start of the 2019 season, tied for third in the league (only Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield have more).
Taylor signed a two-year, $11 million deal to be the No. 2 quarterback, but he’ll be waiting in the wings if anything happens to Jones this year — whether it’s an injury or a poor performance. Jones has been playing for his job since this season, so the pressure is on to succeed.
