It's just about time to start getting ready for Week 1 of the regular season for the NY Giants. For Brian Daboll, he's going to use the preseason finale to scout some of the fringe players, while plenty of fans were hoping to see Daniel Jones play at least the first quarter to try and shake off some more rust.
Unfortunately for those people, it's likely not going to happen. Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced that his starters won't be taking the field against the G-Men at MetLife Stadium. While Daboll is yet to make things official, all signs are pointing to Jones and the other 1s watching this one from the sidelines:
Feel confident after watching practice that the Giants are not going to play their starters on Saturday in their final preseason game against the Jets.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) August 22, 2024
The Jets have already announced they’re not playing their starters.
NY Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is not expected to play in the preseason finale
On one side of things, yes, Jones should enjoy this one from the bench and not risk injury. He is still recovering from his torn ACL and there's no reason to put him out there in a meaningless game at MetLife. Other players have way more on the line in this one, so letting Jones rest up and mentally/physically prepare for Minnesota makes plenty of sense.
However, there are other people out there too who don't agree with this decision one bit. Why? Because the last time we saw Jones on the field, he looked beyond rusty in the first quarter taking on the Houston Texans. In the Week 2 preseason matchup, Jones tossed two interceptions in the first 15 minutes of play. He quite literally completed the same amount of passes to Houston players as he did to his own teammates. Yeah, that wasn't what anyone was hoping to see.
He was able to calm down a bit in the second quarter, but that came against mostly backups. Because of that, the hope was that Jones would get back on the field and keep on working things out with his receivers and offensive linemen.
While we understand that point of view, if the Jets are going with their 2s and 3s, why send Jones out there? If Saleh was going with his starters, then sure, let Jones test himself. However, forcing him out there for Saturday night would be too much of a risk. Him working on things with his WRs and guys up front is exactly what practice is for.
Jones has loads of pressure on him to deliver this campaign. With no more guaranteed money on the table for him following this season, he's playing for his Big Blue career. His first chance to make a statement will be against the Vikings - Daboll is right to let him take it easy vs. the Jets and not put his helmet on for a late August dance. Save things for September, Coach Dabes.