On Monday, NFL owners approved a rule that will allow teams to designate an emergency quarterback on the day of a game.
The decision comes after an NFC Championship Game debacle last year when the San Francisco 49ers lost both of their quarterbacks to injury and were forced to completely change their game plan, putting running back Christian McCaffrey under center.
There is a catch to the rule, however.
The emergency quarterback has to be on the 53-man roster and can not be a practice squad call-up. Accordingly, any team who believes they may have to designate an emergency quarterback will have to carry three on their active roster.
The rule is similar to one the NFL implemented from 1991 through 2010.
So, that begs the question: Will the New York Giants now carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster?
Although unlikely, it is something general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will have to consider. Daniel Jones may have appeared in 16 games a season ago, but he missed 11 games over his first three seasons.
Jones’ backup, Tyrod Taylor, also has a lengthy injury history. In fact, both Jones and Taylor were injured in the same game last season — a Week 4 victory over the Chicago Bears.
With Jones and Taylor on the sideline, the Giants were forced to put running back Saquon Barkley under center. He ran the wildcat before DJ was eventually able to return. However, if the Giants had an emergency quarterback at the time, it’s unlikely that Jones would have been sent back out onto the field.
Jones was later evaluated for an ankle injury while Taylor was put into concussion protocol, where he remained for 10 days.
If the Giants do opt to carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, the only other QB currently under contract is rookie Tommy DeVito.
