The New York Giants do not have a training camp quarterback competition, but if they did, veteran Eli Manning took an early lead over rookie Daniel Jones on Thursday.
Knowing that his future is uncertain and that time is winding down, a relaxed Manning hit the field looking as spry as ever and went on to have one of his sharpest practices in recent memory.
Manning finished the day going 10-of-14 with one interception, which came at the hands of a remarkably athletic play courtesy of linebacker Lorenzo Carter. He also went 3-of-4 during the blitz portion of practice.
“I had a freakin’ screen today where I didn’t quite set it up right and it put us in a bad position,” running back Saquon Barkley said. “That was a heck of a play. I’m not going to lie. It was a zero blitz, he’s responsible for the running back. I tried to sneak outside him on the screen, and he made an unbelievable play.”
On the opposite end of that spectrum, Jones struggled in his first training camp practice with the Giants, finishing the day going 6-for-14 after starting 0-for-6. He had a ball batted down at the line, while another pass fell harmlessly to the turf with no one within 15 yards.
However, just as it was at Duke, Jones’ line was hindered by a bad drop — this one courtesy of wide receiver Bennie Fowler, who would have easily strolled into the endzone for a touchdown.
Both Manning and Jones will return to the field on Friday at 2:45 p.m. for practice No. 2 of camp.
