Will the real Daniel Jones please stand up? Last season, the former NY Giants No. 6 overall pick looked rough before going down with a neck injury and then a torn ACL. Jones tossed for only two touchdowns in six games - this came after he signed a $160 million extension.
With Jones expected to be cleared by training camp and then start Week 1 vs. Minnesota, he simply has to impress early on this season and keep things that way. Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr isn't feeling optimistic about that. In a piece with bold predictions for the 2024 campaign, Orr thinks Jones will eventually make his way to the bench and Drew Lock will take over as the starter.
Will Daniel Jones be able to bounce back for the Giants this season?
"Drew Lock. Many times, I have felt something with utmost certainty (see: last year’s prediction about the Arizona Cardinals stumbling into the No. 1 pick) only to have that prediction not come anywhere close to being true. However, this season seems set up for Lock to take the job from Daniel Jones at some point, should Jones struggle. And, it seems set up for Jones and Brian Daboll to cook up an offense that feeds Malik Nabers and steals a few wins in the process. I think the Giants are a sneaky second-place team in the NFC East, with Lock starting a majority of the games. "SI's Conor Orr
Should this happen, it would obviously mean that Jones won't be back with the Giants next season. With there being an out in his contract following this upcoming campaign, Danny Dimes has to look strong in order to save his Giants career. Orr doesn't think that's going to happen.
He does think that should Lock take over as the starting signal-caller, the Giants could be a 'sneaky' second place team in the NFC East. Hey, who knows, Lock could end up having the Giants around .500, but plenty of people are going to be livid with Jones if he takes another step back.
With an improved offensive line and Malik Nabers now in town, there are truly no more excuses for the veteran quarterback. It feels like he's on borrowed time in East Rutherford, but he has this last chance to prove to everyone that he can be among the top QBs in the NFC. Will he be able to do so? Orr, along with many others, doesn't see it happening.