Mixed messages about Giants QB Daniel Jones' availability for Sunday's game vs. Dolphins
Daniel Jones of the Giants prepares for the snap at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Giants went out of their way Wednesday to project themselves as a team without issue at the most important position on the field.
While they acknowledged Daniel Jones is dealing with a neck strain and classified him as limited in the two walk-through practices on their injury report, Joe Judge said the quarterback was going to have a "normal day" in practice and anticipated him being on the field in some capacity on Thursday and Friday as well.
Jones said he is feeling better and expects to keep working toward playing on Sunday in Miami.
"My job is to be ready to play, so I’ll go through the week like I always do," Jones said.
Whether any of it is actually true or part of an elaborate effort at gamesmanship is unlikely to be determined until later this week. The fact that Jones even spoke with the media on Wednesday as he normally does can be construed as either a positive sign or part of the ruse.
One thing is clear: Jones’ availability for the upcoming game is at least in doubt if not yet determined and the Giants are preparing backup quarterback Mike Glennon in case he needs to start against the Dolphins.
"We’re not going to rule anything out right now," Judge said. "We’ll see what [Jones] can do. It’s like any kind of injury coming out of the game. We’ll just see how he does."
Jones certainly downplayed the severity of the injury, which he suffered on the second play of Sunday’s game against the Eagles during a 5-yard designed run. He remained in the game for its duration and only told the medical staff of his discomfort after the contest was over.
"After the game it was sore," he said. "I woke up [Monday] and it was sore."
He insisted he has no physical limitations as far as running, throwing or turning his head from side to side. He also said there is no structural damage to his neck other than the strain.
"There was obviously a series of tests and conversations with doctors," Jones said. "I always understood it to be something I could recover from and get back out there . . . I think we have a pretty clear understanding of what it is. It’s just about treatment and trusting the recovery process."
Asked if the neck injury is considered to be potentially season-ending, Judge said: "At this moment, no."
So they went about their day. Glennon took some of the first-team reps, which Judge said is the normal routine for the backup quarterback.
"Every week Mike’s job is to be prepared that if his number is called at any point in time, either before or during the game, he’s ready to go in and run our offense," Judge said.
Newly signed quarterback Jake Fromm began the process of acclimating to his new team after being plucked from the Bills’ practice squad. Judge even doused the idea of that acquisition being a sign of the seriousness of Jones’ injury.
"When you first get any kind of flag on any player, you kind of look on down [the list of available replacements]," Judge said of the red flag acquisition. "You immediately say, ‘OK, what kind of insurance do we need for the game right now?’ Then, too, it was an opportunity for us to add a player that we liked coming out of college through the draft. It was a good time to add him, get him in here and get working."
And Jones? He trotted out to the practice field during the portion of the workout open to the media just in time to join the rest of the team in stretching. The one element of his presence that was slightly askew was that he missed warm-up tosses with the rest of the quarterbacks and was one of the last players to take the field. Normally he is among the first.
Like everything else that happened at the Giants on Wednesday, Jones’ tardiness was a tea leaf that sent an unclear message. It could certainly be chalked up to anything from equipment matters to scatological issues. It also may have been that he needed extra time with trainers to get ready for the part of practice in which he was cleared to participate.
"As a quarterback, you never want to miss any time," Jones said. "My focus is to get back and to be ready to play."
The Giants are certainly talking and acting as if that will happen by Sunday . . . all while preparing in case it does not.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
