NY Giants’ Daniel Jones named a ‘tier-3’ quarterback by NFL execs

Everything for the NY Giants in 2021 is about seeing if Daniel Jones can become an elite NFL quarterback 

NY Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is facing a defining season for an NFL signal caller.

After two up-and-down seasons, the NFL — and the Giants — will find out who Jones truly is after three seasons to evaluate.

Jones has had his fair share of turnover issues in consecutive seasons. Jones has had issues with his processing speed, he has lost many fumbles on sacks, and he’s thrown too many interceptions in key spots. On the other hand, Jones had four 300-yard, 4-touchdown games as a rookie. He also has led some impressive comeback wins and commanded a few game-winning drives.

Jones will look to improve dramatically in year three with the help of a revamped arsenal of weapons to help #8 out. Jones will be protected by the same offensive line from 2020, a risky proposition based on their play from last year.

The Athletic conducted an NFL survey to break down, evaluate, and properly rank the NFL quarterbacks that will lead their respective teams. The Athletic spoke to 50 NFL coaches and talent evaluators from different ranks. The answering committee was made up of seven General Managers, five Head Coaches, 11 NFL Coordinators, 15 Executives, seven Quarterback Coaches, and five more talent evaluators via coaching or the front office.

The survey revealed a lot about people’s general feelings around the NFL’s quarterbacks. Only five QB’s were named in the ‘Tier 1’ category. The NY Giants saw their quarterback end up in the ‘Tier 3′ category.

Daniel Jones’ ranking ended with him as a ‘Tier 3′ QB and the league’s 22nd-best quarterback overall. Jones’ voting process consisted of one ‘Tier 2’ vote, 28 ‘Tier 3’ votes, 20 ‘Tier 4’ votes, and one ‘Tier 5’ vote. The results were that 56% of the voters placed Jones in the Tier 3 category. Jones earned 29 votes for Tiers 1 & 2, while only getting 20 votes as a Tier 4 quarterback.

"“Playing him, the thing that scares you the most about him was his ability to run with the ball,” a defensive coach said. “They were running some of the zone-read stuff, but he was running away from secondary guys. He also had the ability to throw the ball, but he was not consistent.”"

Will 2021 be the season that Daniel Jones reaches his potential for NY Giants?

An anonymous defensive coach boasted about Jones’ running ability and his underrated speed. Jones and the Giants’ offense began to incorporate designed QB runs and read options into their offense, something they are expected to continue in 2021.

One NFL executive brought up the offseason additions of Kenny Golladay, Kyle Rudolph, and Kadarious Toney as another reason for a potential breakout for Jones.

"“They are built to be a seven-on-seven team with the weapons they have, and if he cannot put up points with this group, he never will be able to,” the exec said."

One QB coach believes Jones just simply needs more time and reps to get to where he needs to be. The coach stressed the fact that the NFL simply isn’t very patient anymore with today’s quarterbacks and their development. “The way of the NFL now is to rush these guys to be great early,” the quarterback coach said. “They are not given a chance to just develop and learn the game. Some guys come in right away and play well, but other guys need 2-3 years and then they are ready to roll.”

The NY Giants are counting big time on major improvements from the offense all-around but particularly from their quarterback. The Athletic referenced Josh Allen’s year three breakout as a source of optimism for Jones. Meanwhile, another front office executive compared Jones’ play and demeanor to Andy Dalton’s during his early years in his Cincinnati tenure.

"“Jones’ fatal flaw has been the turnovers, but it’s because he holds the ball too long,” a defensive coach said. “That worries me all the time. Sometimes it is a product of the offense. I’m not sure that is the case there. It’s like he doesn’t see things all the time. Philly ended the game with a strip-sack, not because they got a great rush, but because he holds the ball a long time. I worry that he cannot get past that.”"

New York didn’t have enough at any position offensively to either fairly evaluate Jones and see him in a position where he could realistically thrive or have sustained success. “I think there is enough ability there,” an exec said. “You can start and win with him. He’s another guy, two different coaches, a couple of different offenses, haven’t really had a lot of weapons around him. They tried to upgrade that this offseason and they got Saquon Barkley coming back. This will be the truest evaluation of him.”

It’s now or never for Daniel Jones and the entire Giants’ offense. Jones will have his best group of weapons in three seasons, he has continuity on the offensive line, and he has a returning head coach and offensive coordinator with the same scheme for the first time in his career. We will finally get to fairly and accurately see what Jones is made of and whether or not he can lead the Giants deep into the 2020s or not.