Daniel Jones out Sunday for Giants vs. Jets, perhaps longer
Daniel Jones of the New York Giants looks on from the bench during the second half against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
“Yep.”
With that one short word, Brian Daboll seemed to cast doubt on Daniel Jones’ status for the rest of the 2023 season.
It was no surprise when the Giants’ coach said before practice on Friday that his starting quarterback will not play against the Jets on Sunday because of a lingering neck injury.
But things got more complicated when reporters pressed Daboll on Jones’ future beyond this weekend.
Nine days earlier, Daboll was asked, “Are you convinced [Jones’] season is not over?”
The coach’s answer then: “Yeah, it’s not over.’’
This time Daboll said, “He’s getting better, and we’ll see where he is next week. I don’t have a crystal ball with injuries, but he is getting better.”
When a reporter noted that the answer this time was “a little less declarative” than last week’s response, the coach simply said, “Yep.”
So Daboll no longer can answer in the affirmative on that point?
“Again, I just go with the information that I get,” he said. “[Friday] he was out. He’s getting better. We’ll see where he is next week.”
Jones was in the locker room after practice, but a Giants spokesman said he was not available to speak to reporters.
Jones was injured in the fourth quarter of an Oct. 8 loss to the Dolphins when he was sacked from behind by Andrew Van Ginkel. He has missed the past two games after being listed as questionable last week. Tyrod Taylor will start his third consecutive game in Jones’ place on Sunday.
Daboll said Jones has been serving on the scout team in practice since last week but still has not been cleared for contact.
Daboll repeatedly deferred to doctors and trainers when asked about the decision to keep Jones on the sideline, saying he simply is reacting to what he is told.
He would not say whether Jones had suffered a setback.
When asked if Jones has been out longer than he expected, Daboll said, “I never expect anything with injuries. Whenever the medical people tell me, that’s what I go with.”
Asked what Jones has been doing, Daboll said, “It’s noncontact stuff. He’s throwing, he feels better every day. He’s done a good job with things he can do on the practice field. We’ll take it one day at a time, but he’s getting closer.”
Jones said on Wednesday that he still was experiencing symptoms. He also said this injury is different from the neck injury that cost him the final six games of the 2021 season.
“I think when you see other guys that have similar situations as mine and they’re able to progress and come back, I’m following a similar timeline to that,” Jones said on Wednesday. “That’s kind of the optimism, and it’s a different injury than last time.”
Asked if neck injuries by their nature require more caution than, say, an injury to a limb, Jones agreed that was the case.
“I think any time you’re talking about the neck, you’ve got to understand the risk of reinjury and what would happen if you were to reinjure it,” he said. “So yeah, that’s certainly a component of it.”
Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract in the offseason, is 1-4 in five starts with two touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Notes & quotes: RB Gary Brightwell (hamstring) is out and OT Andrew Thomas (hamstring) is doubtful. RB Saquon Barkley (elbow) practiced fully and is not on the injury report. Five players are questionable: CB Adoree’ Jackson (neck), OT Evan Neal (ankle), C John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), DL Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee) and TE Darren Waller (hamstring).
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
More Giants
