Daniel Jones has enjoyed a strong training camp to this point. On Tuesday, however, it was ugly.
The Giants’ QB struggled against the Lions in the first of two joint practices, consistently missing on deep balls. In one instance, he threw late and long to free-agent acquisition Parris Campbell, who was slammed into by Detroit’s C.J. Gardner-Johnson, creating a nasty collision.
While it’s one practice, it’s also the first time this summer Jones has seen competition outside of his own defense. No reason for alarm, but worth a raised eyebrow.
Jones has been praised for his career season of 2022, but the reality is a bit different than the perception. He threw for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns, which ranked 15th and 21st in the league, respectively.
Jones’s ability to run (708 yards and seven touchdowns) and the limiting of turnovers with only five interceptions are laudable. Yet those traits alone are not enough to justify paying him $160 million over the next four years, as New York agreed to do this offseason.
To help him succeed, general manager Joe Schoen traded a third-round pick to the Raiders for veteran tight end Darren Waller. Schoen also signed Campbell and Jamison Crowder, along with using a third-round choice on Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt, who has impressed in camp.
Still, New York doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 option on the outside, putting the onus on Jones to elevate his game, in turn elevating those around him.
If the Giants are hoping for things to work the other way around, they could be in trouble.
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Best thing I saw: Saquon Barkley making a house call.
The Giants had a tough time generating offense against Detroit’s defensive starters, but their best play unsurprisingly involved Barkley.
In team drills, New York had Jones hand off to Barkley on a stretch play to the left, before Jones rolled right and gave shovel-pass action. Meanwhile, Barkley tore down the left sideline and outran his pursuers for what would have been a long touchdown.
If the Giants are going to repeat as not only a playoff team but one which can win once there, it’ll be Barkley leading the offensive show.
Best thing I heard: Kayvon Thibodeaux on how football equates to chess.
“Chess is a heavyweight match,” Thibodeaux said after Tuesday’s practice. “It’s understanding that sometimes you have to sacrifice certain things to get where you want to be. Understanding what I have to do and how I have to set my opponent up to ultimately get the win I want.”
Thibodeaux mentioned his love of chess at the NFL scouting combine in April 2022, and he feels the game still applies strongly to his line of work. He played well as a rookie last season, racking up four sacks and 13 quarterback hits in 14 games.
Now entering his second season, Thibodeaux is hoping to build off his success while finding more consistency.
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Rookie who impressed: Eric Gray, RB.
At 5'10" and 211 pounds, Gray is built more for power than speed (as evidenced by his 4.62 time in the 40), but he’s explosive out of cuts. In camp he’s been getting run as the first-team return man, and he showed why against the Lions.
In one instance, Gray had to backpedal 15 yards to field a deep punt, before taking off upfield. After making one man miss, Gray planted his right foot and juked hard to the left, leaving a would-be tackler in his wake.
In college, Gray had only nine punt and four kick returns across four seasons at Tennessee and Oklahoma, but he’s showing a knack. The big question, as it is for every rookie, will be earning the trust of his coaches. If he does that throughout the preseason, he has a terrific chance to land the job.
Veteran who impressed: Darren Waller, TE.
Waller didn’t do anything special Tuesday, but he looked healthy after missing 14 games over the past two years with the Raiders.
New York is hoping Waller will be a key piece to upgrading what was a lacking group of pass catchers in 2022. Against the Lions in team drills, Waller was consistently working open at both intermediate and deep levels, giving Jones targets time and again.
For New York’s offense to take the next step, it needs to have a counter when Barkley is limited by an opposing front. Waller is the ideal candidate for that role.
