Unlike Jets' Zach Wilson, Giants' Daniel Jones doesn't have benefit of time anymore
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones passes the ball during a joint practice with the Patriots on Wednesday in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Steven Senne
As if Daniel Jones didn’t have enough to deal with as he enters his third NFL season amidst tremendous expectations, now there’s another factor added to the mix: Zach Wilson.
No, the two won’t face one another in the regular season. But with Wilson already looking comfortable as the face of the Jets in his first training camp, and with the No. 2 overall pick showing plenty of poise in his first two preseason appearances, he becomes another point of comparison for the Giants’ quarterback.
Jones has yet to appear in a preseason game as the Giants’ starter – he was Eli Manning’s backup as a rookie in 2019 and didn’t have the benefit of preseason games last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’ll finally get the chance to play with the starters on Sunday at MetLife Stadium against the Patriots, with whom the Giants held joint practices the last two days in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
It will be Jones’ one and only time to participate in a dress rehearsal for the regular season, although coach Joe Judge insists that the work in practices against the Patriots this week and the Browns last week, coupled with Jones’ work against his own team all summer, will be enough to have him ready for the regular season. But that’s asking an awful lot from a player who can use all the in-game snaps he can get to prepare for his most important season yet. A season that may ultimately determine whether he is the Giants’ long-term quarterback, or whether the search for a better player will commence next season.
Jones doesn’t seem too worried by the challenge – in keeping with his Eli Manning-esque unflappability that was part of his lure for general manager Dave Gettleman when he saw Jones as Manning’s heir apparent in 2019. But it’s not Jones’ mental makeup that should concern the Giants; it’s his ability. The bottom-line question is this: Is he good enough to compete at a high enough level to bring the Giants out of their decade-long slide from Super Bowl prominence?
The answers will begin to unfold when the Giants open the season Sept. 12 at home against the Broncos, the first game of what should be a relatively mild early-season schedule. Five of their first seven opponents had losing records last season, and a sixth – the Saints – are now without Drew Brees. The Rams are the other 2020 playoff opponent in that early run before the Giants face defending AFC champion Kansas City and a more challenging second-half schedule.
Jones has been taking a day-by-day approach to his preparation, which is what we’ve come to expect from a player who consistently makes himself available to the media but consistently says little to nothing in terms of setting public expectations for his team or for himself.
After a spotty practice session Wednesday in the joint session with the Patriots, Jones explained it this way: "Kind of up and down. Made some plays, didn’t do some things great. We’ve got to look at a few things and clean it up. That’s the way practice is sometimes, and you’ve got to be able to push through. We’ll look to correct it going forward."
Correct the mistakes. Clean things up. Watch the tape and make adjustments. The usual assortment of cliches.
But beyond the dull analysis lie legitimate concerns. Jones hasn’t worked much with two of his receivers who were expected to make important contributions this season – free agent Kenny Golladay and rookie first-round pick Kadarius Toney, both of whom are dealing with injuries. Saquon Barkley hasn’t started full-contact practice nearly a year after tearing his ACL, and his availability to start the season is in question. And the quality of the offensive line, which underperformed through much of last season, remains uncertain.
Wilson’s positive early reviews don’t make things any easier for Jones. The No. 2 overall pick is still enjoying a honeymoon period that is often typical of first-year quarterbacks. Especially after Wilson has looked so comfortable in preseason games against the Giants and Packers, and after he has appeared at ease in dealing with the media – always a challenge in the New York market.
Wilson will suffer his NFL scars, just as every quarterback does, and he enters his rookie season with few expectations beyond showing progress and doing his best to compete in a division that includes Super Bowl contending Buffalo, much-improved Miami, and the Bill Belichick-coached Patriots.
For Jones, the scrutiny will be searing if he can’t show meaningful improvement over his first two seasons. He can’t be a turnover machine like he was in many spots as a rookie and through the first half of last season. He needs to double – maybe even triple – his passing touchdowns total of just 11 from last season. And he needs to show that Gettleman was correct for staking his reputation on Jones with the sixth overall pick in 2019.
Unlike Wilson this season, Jones doesn’t have the benefit of time. And if the Jets’ quarterback shows the kind of presence and moxie in the regular season that we’ve seen so far in the preseason, then Jones’ task becomes even more daunting.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
