New York Giants: Daniel Jones’ early returns at OTAs raise concern
Daniel Jones hasn’t been all bad at New York Giants OTAs, but some early reports about the sixth overall pick raise some concerns.
From the moment that the New York Giants nabbed quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Duke product and heir-apparent to Eli Manning was going to come under heavy scrutiny. Part of that is just being a quarterback taken in the first round but another part is Jones being perceived as a massive reach with the No. 6 selection.
Thus, as the Giants have begun OTAs in the 2019 offseason, it’s no surprise that many eyes have been on Jones and how he’s looked thus far. And to be clear, there have been some promising notes regarding the signal-caller. Namely, many have noted impressive arm strength so far from Jones, which was highlighted as a weakness for him.
However, as ESPN looked at each first-round pick through the lens of the respective teams’ beat writers, the lead-in for Jones from Jordan Raanan is something that should be alarming:
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"He has looked like he belongs working with the second- and third-team offenses early in his Giants career. That is an accomplishment given the difficulty of playing quarterback as a rookie in the NFL."
While Raanan’s point about the transition from college to the NFL being extremely difficult for a quarterback is valid, saying that Jones looks like he belongs with the backup offensive groups feels less like a compliment than it’s likely intended to be. Not only does this indicate that Jones may not be ready to challenge an aging and declining Manning but it also says that a top-six pick isn’t ready to see the field right now.
But again, this is a rookie quarterback getting his first taste of NFL workouts. Maybe this is what’s to be expected. If that were the case, though, then it’s hard to explain the progress report from the same ESPN piece per John Keim regarding Dwayne Haskins (who many argue the Giants should’ve taken instead of Jones):
"He throws a nice ball and at times makes throws others just can’t. Haskins clearly looks like someone who will win the job at some point, but there are many things he still must learn — getting all the terminology of a play correct, for example. He’s more mobile than people realize. But there also are times when his passes are a little off — sometimes to the wrong shoulder or just a misfire. It has led to some issues in practices and shows the development that must be made."
Yes, this review from Keim clearly paints a picture of a player that needs to improve before he’s a top-tier quarterback for the Washington Redskins. Having said that, the line about Haskins looking like “someone who will win the job at some point” stands in stark contrast to what was said about Jones by Raanan.
Perhaps this is simply just different language from different writers but it sure doesn’t read that way in the same piece. Instead, the picture is painted where Jones looks like a surefire backup while Haskins looks like a player that, though not without flaws, will be the starter for Washington sooner rather than later.
Considering the firestorm that the Jones selection created in the moment, Giants fans have to be concerned about these reports from OTAs. Especially when you put Jones’ showing in relation to Haskins’, things only play into the narrative that New York general manager Dave Gettleman made a monumental gaffe.
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This isn’t to say that Jones will be a certain bust in the NFL. Not only is it a long 2019 offseason before rookie years start, allowing Jones time to progress, but we cannot remotely judge a player by their first group of NFL-level workouts. It is to say, however, that the early returns on Jones from OTAs doesn’t do anything to change the predominantly negative narrative around the pick.