If you were a New York Giants fan who went into training camp worried about the quarterback position holding this team back -- yet again -- in 2024, Daniel Jones has done nothing to lower your anxiety level.
In fact, Jones has probably been even worse than anyone anticipated, especially lately:
#Giants QB Daniel Jones is 5 of 14 passing. Two additional plays blown dead because of sacks. https://t.co/0ftWn2Yoir
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 30, 2024
The Giants set out this offseason to really upgrade the roster around Daniel Jones, but you can see on the offseason version of HBO's Hard Knocks that the team was also very open to moving up in the draft to secure a quarterback. The Giants seemed to like both Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye in this year's class and seemed willing to move up for either of them, but the Patriots wouldn't budge off the 3rd overall pick.
The Giants pivoted to Malik Nabers with the 6th overall pick, and Nabers has found a way to impress at training camp despite the lack of success from Daniel Jones.
It's going to be fascinating to see how the Giants approach this sort of situation. Ownership obviously signed off on giving Jones a contract extension, which is why the Giants are saddled with him in the first place. General manager Joe Schoen could come under fire this season for letting star running back Saquon Barkley out of the building, especially with the fact that he joined a division rival in Philadelphia.
If Daniel Jones comes out and holds this team back yet again, the Giants will be missing out on a golden opportunity in the NFC East this season. It really feels like there's a window of opportunity to make a run in that division right now.
The Cowboys lost a lot this offseason and have some major looming contract issues heading into August. The Eagles started last year 10-1 but their defense was so bad that they completely collapsed down the stretch. They made changes on that side of the ball this year but they're a team in transition and there are more question marks about Jalen Hurts now than there were a year ago at this point. The Commanders are the worst team in the division with all new everything.
The Giants seem to have a defense that can compete. They finally got a bona fide WR1 in the building. They invested in the offensive line. Brian Daboll is a good coach. The thing holding them back is the quarterback position, Daniel Jones specifically. He could be the reason this team "wastes" the 2024 season and I wouldn't be shocked if we see Drew Lock at some point taking over.