5 NY Giants breakout candidates: Finally Daniel Jones’ time?
The NY Giants’ roster features several young players capable of breakout seasons in 2021, but none are more important to the franchise’s trajectory than Daniel Jones
As Daniel Jones prepares to embark on his third NFL season as the NY Giants’ quarterback, the expectations have never been higher.
By and large, Jones‘ added scrutiny entering the 2021 campaign is because of an improved supporting cast, and pressure to live up to his billing as a top-10 pick.
At least one NFL executive believes Jones can make the kind of leap in his third season, that quarterbacks such as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes made in their second, that the NY Giants are banking on.
“This year, it’s going to prove out that not only is it Daniel Jones [that’s the Giants’ second-best player],” an NFC personnel executive tells FanSided. “But he’ll be even better than Saquon Barkley. Call it a gut feeling, but after everything they did around him, it’s just his time.”
For Jones to develop into one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks, he’ll need to dramatically cut down on his turnovers and unforced errors.
Last season, Jones tossed 10 interceptions and lost eight fumbles while producing a 17.6 bad-throw percentage. Those numbers will need to dramatically improve if Jones is going to make strides and the NY Giants are going to take steps towards competing.
In the days leading up to training camp beginning for the Giants, we’ll examine five players who could be on the cusp of a breakout season in 2021.
Will this year be different? Will this be Jones’ breakout campaign?
Here’s a look at why Daniel Jones has a chance to breakout and elevate his game to the next level, why he might not, and our verdict on what to expect from the NY Giants’ quarterback this season:
Why Jones will breakout:
This will easily be the most electrifying — and talented — supporting cast that Jones has ever had at his disposal.
The NY Giants went out this offseason and built what has the potential to be a top-five collection of weapons around Jones. Kenny Golladay led the NFL in receiving in 2019, Kyle Rudolph is among the more reliable red-zone targets among tight ends across the league, and Saquon Barkley’s return should alleviate some of the pressure on Jones to be the focal point of the offense.
Jones has the mobility to execute offensive coordinator Jason Garrett‘s system at a high-level, and his read-options should be far more effective with Barkley in the backfield alongside him.
Given that Matthew Stafford produced a 107.9 passer rating when targeting Golladay, there’s a pretty good chance that Jones could see a similar uptick in production. Likewise, with all of that firepower, the NY Giants’ offense should average significantly more than 17.5 points per game, as it did in 2020.
Jones’ arm-strength, mobility, and finally having legitimate weapons at every offensive skill positions should set the stage for him to take the much-needed leap.