New York Giants sixth-year quarterback Daniel Jones has few people in his corner these days as he attempts to make a comeback from a season-ending ACL injury that further diminished his value in the eyes of experts.
Jones is reportedly going to be ready for training camp, which opens in five weeks, and not many believe that he will have a resurgence and lead the Giants back to prominence.
That aside, there is a flip side to this saga. The Giants are locked into Jones (for at least this season) and his comeback will be under a microscope. Fans and pundits still contend that Jones is vastly overpaid with an AAV of $40 million and is doomed to be a failure. Nothing he does is likely to change that.
That makes him a “player to root for,” says NFL Media’s Dan Parr.
Considering Jones is guaranteed to make $36 million this season, I realize the man doesn’t need my sympathy. I still have some for him, though. Fed-up Giants fans might not want to hear it, but Dimes doesn’t seem to catch many breaks on the field. The offensive lines protecting him (or not) were ranked 30th or lower by PFF in each of the last four years.
So, yes, it’s not a surprise he’s had injury issues. Now he’s entering a season that could be his last with New York if he doesn’t play much better, following an offseason in which the Giants tried to replace him via the draft. They did give Jones the most talented receiver he’s ever had on his team, picking Malik Nabers sixth overall. But will it be too little too late? Perhaps. It would be fun — and unexpected — to see Jones silence the critics. No one deserves to have a career defined by the one play where you run 80 yards and then fall over without being touched.
Let’s not forget the team has a new offensive line coach and signed two veteran guards to shore up the middle of the line. Jones shouldn’t be under as much fire as he was last season when the line fell apart after a spate of injuries and nearly set the NFL record for sacks allowed in a single season.
With more weapons around him, Jones should also be relied upon less and let the rest of the offense do the work for him.
Still, there is an undercurrent vibe that is resonating throughout the Land of the Giants that Jones could be on a short leash and that the team will not be hesitant to yank him in favor of free agent Drew Lock.
