Daniel Jones is the issue everybody however the New York Giants noticed coming. Now in his sixth season, Jones is a nasty quarterback masquerading as an elite one, purely by advantage of the determined 4-year, $160M contract the Giants gave him in 2023. Now at 2-8, with followers watching this group get overwhelmed by the Carolina Panthers and lapped within the NFC East by the rebuilding Commanders, there’s little doubt the Daniel Jones period is coming to an unceremonious finish.
It’s nearly assured the Giants will search for a brand new quarterback within the 2025 NFL Draft, particularly if outcomes maintain and New York has the No. 2 total decide. In our most-recent mock draft, JP Acosta has the Giants deciding on Shadeur Sanders, the polarizing (albeit mega-talented) passer out of Colorado. Which means we’re now within the autopsy stage in the case of Daniel Jones.
What precisely went fallacious? Is there something the Giants might have carried out in a different way to make Jones efficient? Maybe most sobering, what did this group miss out on by believing a lot in Daniel Jones?
The origin of the Daniel Jones mess begins in 2018 with one of many largest errors the Giants have made in many years. Following a nightmarish 3-13 season the group determined to half methods with long-time normal supervisor Jerry Reese and change him with … the very same man. The group employed Dave Gettleman, recent off an up-and-down run with the Carolina Panthers, however the Giants’ massive mistake was attributing the Panthers’ highs with Gettleman — when in actuality he inherited Cam Newton, a stable roster, and a very good head coach in Ron Rivera, that means there was little he actually wanted to do in an effort to reform the group.
Gettleman had beforehand been with the Giants group beneath Jerry Reese as director of professional personnel. His soccer sensibilities had been lower from the identical material, which made it so complicated that New York would employed him at a time of momentous change to show issues round. An old-school soccer man, Gettleman abhorred analytics, didn’t have a lot religion in his scouting division, and as a substitute determined to function as a monolith — doing the majority of participant analysis himself. As well as, he relied far an excessive amount of on the relationships he’d in-built soccer over three many years within the NFL, incorrectly utilizing previous examples and predictors of future success.
That’s the place Daniel Jones enters the image.
Within the 2019 NFL Draft there wasn’t an amazing QB2 after Kyler Murray. The widely-held perception was that should you wanted a franchise QB however didn’t have the No. 1 decide you’d want to attend till 2020 when Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, and Jordan Love would flood the primary spherical with expertise. By no means one for typical logic, Gettleman determined to choose Daniel Jones with the No. 5 total decide.
The important thing downside with the Jones decide is that it was solely predicated on pedigree, not success. The Giants had been coming off 15 years of Eli Manning and there was shared DNA right here: David Cutcliffe. Coach of Ole Miss throughout Eli’s tenure, Cutcliffe was now at Duke and served as head coach to Daniel Jones. Each single metric indicated that Jones was not Eli Manning. The vast majority of Jones’ success got here off RPO performs, he didn’t have the pocket presence of Manning, and his numbers at Duke actually weren’t that nice for a mid-tier program dealing with a largely mediocre schedule.
Regardless of all these points Gettleman believed in Cutcliffe’s methodology to the purpose he took Jones, when purely primarily based on expertise he was seen as being a QB3 or QB4 by some analysts, and a second spherical decide at greatest by others.
Initially it appeared just like the Giants had been the geniuses within the room. In his rookie season Jones threw for over 3,000 yards in 12 begins. It appeared as if the Giants had discovered their inheritor obvious, they usually had been going to handle to drag off their poor man’s model of the Colts transition, the place the group moved on from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck.
Then one thing occurred, or extra aptly, nothing occurred. Jones confirmed no indicators of enchancment. In his protection the Giants’ offensive line was a large number and their receiving corps turned rubbish post-Odell Beckham Jr, however nonetheless Jones did nothing to mitigate these components or show that he might construct on his skillset. Offensively the Giants moved from a West Coast offense beneath Mike Shula to an Air Coryell with Jason Garrett, and Jones was nonetheless mediocre.
Indicators of life lastly occurred in 2022 when Gettleman was fired, Joe Schoen was employed as new GM, and Brian Daboll turned the group’s new coach. Now with an Erhardt-Perkins system, Jones confirmed indicators of life with a 3,200 yard passing season — however this could have been seen as too little, too late. As an alternative the group felt backed right into a nook with Jones, needing to decide on his future along with his rookie deal expiring, whereas additionally not being within the place for a succession plan. The group elected to imagine that Jones was the reply with Daboll, resulting in the huge new contract.
Quick ahead to right now and the frequent thread with the Giants was that this group has had so many issues on offense over time that Jones’ mediocrity allowed him to skate by. There was at all times a believable motive why he wasn’t profitable from the OL to the WRs, with Jones at all times being simply adequate that no person thought of him to be an issue.
The important thing mistake in the case of Daniel Jones was drafting him in any respect. Giants followers, you may wish to go forward and browse one thing else — as a result of we’re about to get to an absolute horror story of what might have been.
2019 Draft
The Giants determine to not rush the method in the case of QB and as a substitute appears to be like at this defense-heavy draft as an opportunity to reform their move rush. The group selects both Josh Hines-Allen or Brian Burns with the No. 6 decide (the place each had been projected), and sticks with Dexter Lawrence at DT with the No. 17 decide.
2020 Draft
Now it’s time for the Giants to get their quarterback. With the No. 4 decide the group selects a prototypical pocket passer they will construct round in Justin Herbert.
2021 Draft
With two good move rushers taken in 2019, and now a franchise QB in 2020 the group is aware of it wants to repair its offensive line. As an alternative of buying and selling out of the decide to permit the Bears to take Justin Fields, the Giants keep at No. 11 and take offensive deal with Rashawn Slater to be the man to cowl Justin Herbert.
2022 Draft
Now they’re constructing from the within out. There’s a serious want at WR nonetheless looming, however proper now you’ve gotten Saquon Barkley, a stable QB, good move rush, and a budding offensive line. Once more with the No. 5 decide the Giants take OT Ikem Ekwonu to be their proper deal with, giving the group the most effective deal with tandems in the whole NFL.
2023 Draft
An in-line tight finish is so as after some success, and Sam LaPorta is on the board. LaPorta’s blocking, paired with the offensive tackles makes Saquon Barkley a must-keep a part of the offense whereas the group nonetheless finds receivers later within the draft and through free company.
2024
They nonetheless take Malik Nabers there, no gripes there.
Finish consequence
The Giants are the most effective groups within the NFC. Defensively they’ve a powerful move rush, and on offense you’re taking a look at a 2024 unit of Justin Herbert/Saquon Barkley/Malik Nabers/ Sam LaPorta, with two unimaginable offensive tackles.
As an alternative this group went a distinct route. Daniel Jones is dangerous, Saquon is prospering on the Eagles, they usually’re going to be on the lookout for a brand new QB within the NFL Draft. Soccer might be humorous like that.
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