Joe Judge supportive of Daniel Jones to be Giants starting QB next season, but . . .

Joe Judge was publicly supportive of Daniel Jones on Monday as the news broke that the Giants’ quarterback would miss the rest of the season because he hadn’t fully healed from a neck sprain. The coach even delivered a vote of confidence for next year, telling reporters that he believes Jones showed enough improvement over the last two seasons to warrant his return in 2022 – and perhaps beyond.

Behind closed doors, it was a different conversation.

"I’ve spoken to Joe, and we’ve had conversations about (returning as the starter next season)," Jones told reporters Wednesday in his first remarks since being placed on injured reserve. "But I think there’s things that I need to improve on. There’s things he expects me to improve on going forward. I understand that, and obviously take that very seriously. That’s kind of my approach."

Judge rarely – if ever – criticizes his players publicly, choosing to remain positive about their performance, even when it is obvious that improvement is necessary. And when you’re 6-10 last season and 4-10 this year, there’s always room for improvement. In many cases, a lot of improvement.

And while it’s too soon to know exactly how the Giants plan to proceed once they play out the rest of the season against the Eagles, Bears and Washington Football Team, it’s a safe bet that Jones at least has the inside track to remain the team’s starter next year. There are variables that could alter that plan because the Giants almost certainly will replace Dave Gettleman as general manager and Judge’s return hasn’t been assured publicly by team president and co-owner John Mara.

But Judge made it seem that the job still belongs to Jones, the Giants’ sixth overall pick in 2019. The coach said Monday he has "seen enough growth from Daniel to tell us that he’s a guy we want to go ahead and play with."

Even so, Jones’s acknowledgement on Wednesday that the conversation with the coach included some pointed criticism about areas that need improvement reminded him that keeping the job will have to be earned. And that goes for those around Jones, too.

"I think as we go forward and into next year, we’ve all got to do a better job," he said. "We didn’t win enough games. We’ve got three important games to finish the season that obviously I won’t be playing in, but I feel like I can contribute and help prepare. We’ve all got to work to improve to make sure we’re moving forward as a team and in a better position next year. I think the best way we’re going to do that right now is finishing this season strong and making sure we are prepared and play our best ball these last three weeks."

Jones was on the sidelines for practice Wednesday, and he has been an active participant in terms of preparation, although he is now prohibited from practicing because he is on injured reserve.

"My expectation for him is to continue on the path he’s on of helping his teammates to stay mentally engaged and keep preparing," Judge said. "He’s done a phenomenal job for us already. My expectation is just for him to continue what he’s been doing."

Jones had hoped to be playing again by now, but the injury he suffered while being tackled early in the Giants’ 13-7 win over the Eagles Nov. 28 hasn’t fully healed. The good news: No surgery is required. The bad news: Time ran out for Jones to completely recover from the sprain. He’s still feeling some soreness, and there’s still some swelling. But at least there’s no structural damage, and Jones said he will be able to resume normal activities. He even suggested that if the injury had happened earlier in the season, there might have been time for him to get back in the lineup by now.

"From all the conversations with the doctors and our medical staff here, going forward I think it’s something that’s going to heal," he said. "It’s just kind of like a timing thing and unfortunately, I kind of ran out of time this season. But I don’t have any concerns long term."

Like everyone else in the organization, Jones now faces an uncertain future. He has shown modest improvement during Judge’s tenure, especially after a rocky first half of the 2020 season in which he was plagued by turnovers. But there simply isn’t enough evidence yet to be convinced that the Giants have their final answer at quarterback, and if Jones does return as the starter next season, he’ll have to elevate his game significantly to be secure as the starter.

Jones had a promising rookie season, throwing 24 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. But in his last two seasons, he has just 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The lack of production prompted Judge to fire offensive coordinator Jason Garrett after a 30-10 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 11. And now a season-ending injury.

"I think it’s always tough to miss games and miss time," he said. "These last few weeks have been tough. Obviously, you want to be out there. You want to be playing. I was doing everything I could to give myself a chance to get back out there. Obviously, frustrating, but trying to find ways to help and help the quarterbacks, help our offense and contribute."

He hopes to contribute in more tangible ways next year – on the field.

At this point, it appears he’ll get that chance.

Then again, it’s a long way from here to opening day in 2022.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

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.”