New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has faced a hefty amount of criticism from certain pundits for his turnover issues as a rookie, but several NFL executives see beyond that.
ESPN recently had executives, scouts, coaches and players rank all Year 2 quarterbacks and Jones checked in at No. 2 behind Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.
“Watch the way he handles the ball, his fakes, his play-action — there’s a lot of skill there,” one NFC offensive coach said. “And he’s a tough dude. He had that rep coming out of college. If he takes care of the ball, he’ll make a big jump.”
Reducing turnovers has been Jones’ primary focus this offseason. He worked with a quarterback coach down in Charlotte on exactly that, while also adding nine pounds of muscle to be more stout at the point of impact.
“[He] throws the ball well, really smart, big and tall,” one quarterback said. “Giants can work with that.”
The key for the Giants will be winning the battle up front with two new tackles, and ensuring that all Jones’ targets remain healthy and on the field. Neither of those things happened in 2019 and it capped the 23-year-old’s potential.
