It’s been an up-and-down first month in the NFL for New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, but it’s been a bit more up than down.
While Jones has struggled in recent weeks against some of the league’s elite defenses, he’s shown consistent growth and toughness, which was a staple of his play at Duke University.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who coached at Texas Tech from 2013-2018 and heavily scouted Jones prior to the 2019 NFL Draft, is not the least bit surprised by the quarterback’s ascension.
“We really liked him, I think you saw during his college career, he didn’t always have the top talent around him going against some very talented teams, but he always battled his tail off. He was a very productive player, very smart player, very tough player,” Kingsbury said during a Wednesday conference call. “We really liked him, but Kyler was our guy but it’s not surprising how well he’s played and the success he is having.”
Almost ironically, Jones has been forced to deal with leading a team ravaged by injuries at key positions. He’s taken just a handful of snaps alongside running back Saquon Barkley, and has barely had the added benefit of wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate.
Against the Cardinals, that could change. And for the first time, Kingsbury might have an opportunity to see what Jones can do with real talent around him.
