The Giants let go of running back Saquon Barkley to retain Daniel Jones, claiming they trusted the quarterback to deliver after a disastrous 2023 season. However, his underwhelming performance in his team’s 28-10 loss against the Texans in their preseason opener prompted former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky to suggest that Brian Daboll may already be rueing the team’s decision.
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The former Lions star claimed that Jones’ lack of improvement would be a major cause for concern for his head coach. He noted that his penchant for crumbling under pressure and making bad decisions hasn’t changed since his rookie season. He said,
“Anyone who has ever heard me talk about Daniel, that’s the sticking point for me. In those moments of panic with the ball, what you do with that decision is really the determining factor. The one season that Jones played really good football and that’s the one thing he got rid of. That right there has to be concerning for Daboll.”
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The preseason game against the Texans was Jones’ first since tearing his ACL during the Giants’ Week 9 loss to the Raiders last year. He threw two interceptions in the first three drives, one of which was a pick-6. He finished the game with 11 pass completions on 18 attempts for 138 yards.
The rest of the team did not cover themselves in much glory, but the quarterback’s lack of composure under pressure was apparent. It certainly wasn’t a promising return to the field for Jones and coach Daboll wasn’t too pleased about it.
Brian Daboll Has Enough Game Tape to Go On Before the Season Starts
During the post-match press conference, the head coach claimed that his team shot themselves in the foot with the interceptions, especially with Jones’ pick-6. He asserted that it’s hard to win when the offense is careless in possession.
Without throwing his quarterback under the bus, he highlighted his mistakes, emphasizing the need for improvement from him and the rest of the offense. Daboll added that he would go back and look at the game tape and claimed that the purpose of preseason is to evaluate the team ahead of the season.
Given the Giants’ substantial investment in Jones, the offensive line improvements, and the addition of new weapons on weapons, it’s highly unlikely the quarterback will be benched unless his performances actively hurt the team.
The team will likely ride out the season with him and release him in 2025 to minimize the cap hit. Another disappointing campaign could provide the Giants with ample draft capital to rebuild their roster, including drafting a new quarterback prospect like Shedeur Sanders.
Regardless, it’s unlikely that Jones will be the Giants starting quarterback next season.
