In 2020, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was ranked 26th overall in Chris Simms’ top 40 QB countdown. A year ago, he climbed slightly to No. 21.
After an impressive 2022 campaign in which he led the Giants to their first playoff victory since Super Bowl XLVI, Jones made major strides on Simms’ list. This time, he just missed cracking the top 10 and ranked 11th overall.
“He made more with less as much as anybody in football,” Simms said on Chris Simms Unbuttoned. “Go back and watch. I mean, he’s got games where you go 10-12 plays in a row and nobody’s open and he’s still getting completions or still getting positive yards. He’s a high-level thrower of the football.
“He hits the bullseye a lot on tight-window throws.”
Simms said there were countless instances last year where he expected Jones to throw an interception or pick-6 because he was forced to hit a dime (no pun intended) 15 or 20 yards down the field. And every time, Jones put the ball exactly where it had to be.
“There’s so much of that,” Simms said of Jones’ accuracy. “Or there are just the plays where I go, ‘nobody is open.’ Okay, he runs and gets a first down. Or the right guard gets run over and he had 0.4 seconds to look downfield and he runs around the edge and gets 15.”
Ultimately, Simms says, the Giants aren’t able to win nine games or reach the playoffs last year without DJ.
“They could not have won and played the way they did without Daniel Jones’ skillset last year,” Simms said. “His running is in the upper echelon of football.”
Simms recognizes many aren’t going to agree with his assessment of Jones, but he chalks that up to box score reading.
“Don’t just look at the stats and stuff,” Simms said. “The context matters. When you dive in and start to watch it, you start to go, ‘oh man, there’s not much to be had in any game.’ And he maximizes it.”
Simms specifically broke down several of Jones’ performances where he finished the game with around 165 yards and was criticized for not doing more. A deeper look at those games left Simms amazed that Jones was even able to accomplish that much.
“He got 165? He probably should have gotten 125. He made some unbelievable plays and throws that were unreal,” Simms said. “That’s where I think people are missing it.”
Finally, Simms credited Jones for his improved pocket presence and footwork, arguing that those strides moved him closer to the top tier of quarterbacks in the NFL.
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