Kyle Lauletta discusses Giants quarterback situation as he works back from knee surgery
Giants quarterback Kyle Lauletta waits for the snap during the first half at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 30, 2018. Credit: Daniel De Mato
The dynamic in the Giants’ quarterback room would seem to have undergone a tectonic-like shift in recent weeks. The Giants used the sixth overall pick on Daniel Jones, and just like that everything appeared to be tossed into chaos and speculation. Jones is the quarterback of the future, but when that future begins is anyone’s guess.
According to one of the players inside that room, however, peace and calm prevail.
“We don’t really talk about that kind of stuff,” said Kyle Lauletta, one of the backups last year whose status with the team is now up in the air thanks to the addition of Jones… even if he chooses not to admit it.
“Hey, in this league, there are always going to be guys behind you and you’re always going to be competing for jobs,” Lauletta said. “We just bring another piece into it, another great quarterback in the room. We’ll all grow together, we’ll all learn together, and we’ll do as best as we can to compete and put a winning team out on the field.”
Lauletta was at the United Way of New York City’s 26th annual Gridiron Gala on Tuesday night in Manhattan to support teammate Michael Thomas who was named this year’s Hometown Hero.
It was a year ago that Lauletta was the fresh face, the draft pick, and he was competing for the backup job with Davis Webb. Lauletta won it. This year, though, Jones was not drafted in the first round to compete to be the No. 2. That brings with it a very different set of circumstances, especially as it effects Eli Manning.
Lauletta said Manning has taken everything in stride in the couple of weeks since the draft.
“Eli has always been a creature of habit, he’s always been a professional,” he said. “He’s been great to everybody in the building and he’s meant a lot to the Giants. Nothing’s changed. He’s still the guy right now. He approaches everything like a pro in a professional manner and nothing different this year with this situation.”
As for Lauletta fighting for his job on the depth chart, that may not happen for a while. He underwent offseason surgery to clean up his knee and is not cleared yet to participate fully in football activities. He said it’s too early to tell when he’ll be ready to play.
“We’re just gonna play it by ear,” he said. “I want to come back and do as much as I can. It feels good, but the more you do the more it’s going to swell so just trying to manage that… Look, all I can do is control me, get my knee back, and work hard. I know what player I can be so I just have to work and reach my full potential. When I get an opportunity on the field, just go out and show them what I can do.”
Lauletta said he had a chance to meet Jones.
“He’s a good guy and I’m happy for him,” he said.
At some point in the coming months, they’ll be competing. All of the quarterbacks will be. For now, though, everything is cool.
“The season is a long way away,” Lauletta said, “so we’re still just working as a team and working through some stuff right now.”
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.
