New York Giants veteran Jameis Winston has quickly become a favorite on social media, and not simply because the backup quarterback is typically popular.
Having a reputation as a dependable No. 2 option certainly doesn’t hurt Winston’s case, though.
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano definitely feels similarly, ranking Winston as the league’s fourth-best backup quarterback. Winston trailed only the Bengals’ Joe Flacco, the 49ers’ Mac Jones, and the Falcons’ Tua Tagovailoa.
“Winston is an aggressive gunslinger with the ball in his hands and a motivational speaker when he’s not slinging it,” Manzano wrote.
Winston went 37-of-66 for 567 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Much of that output came in a 366-yard performance in an overtime loss to the Lions last November. That game also featured Winston catching a 33-yard touchdown from backup receiver Gunner Olszewski.
The Giants should be glad Jameis Winston is their backup quarterback
Winston is still prone to turnovers, but he’s a far superior option to some of the names at the bottom of Manzano’s list.
Barring injuries, notable veteran backups on contenders include Joe Milton III (No. 30, Cowboys), Kyle Allen (No. 29, Bills), former Giants cult hero Tommy DeVito (No. 28, Patriots), and Trey Lance (No. 15, Chargers).
If Josh Allen or Justin Herbert goes down, you’d think the Bills and Chargers would love turning to Winston if needed.
Instead, Winston is in the final season of a two-year deal, and it’s fair to wonder whether he’d have been given a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere.
Then again, Winston’s contract featured $5.25 million in guaranteed money, so he’s not doing too poorly for himself.
Given some of the strange media takes we’ve heard about the Giants in recent weeks, it’s refreshing to see someone — in this case, the backup quarterback — earn some praise.
For their sake, the Giants better hope they don’t need to see too much of Winston this season.
Jaxson Dart looks to become the first Giants quarterback in nearly a decade to start every game. Eli Manning made all 16 starts in 2018, his penultimate campaign with the Giants.
Manning famously started 210 consecutive regular-season games from 2004 through 2017. He also started all 12 of the Giants’ postseason games during that time.
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