Giants quarterback Daniel Jones provides his insight on overblown problem with the offense
The New York Giants are slowly putting the pieces together. The offensive line is better than it was a few years ago. The pass-catchers are young and relatively inexperienced but talent is already in the room.And yet, talent in place is never enough to win in the NFL: It's also about chemistry, and brought-together locker […]
The New York Giants are slowly putting the pieces together. The offensive line is better than it was a few years ago. The pass-catchers are young and relatively inexperienced but talent is already in the room.
And yet, talent in place is never enough to win in the NFL: It's also about chemistry, and brought-together locker rooms. In the eyes of fans and media, that's one of the biggest downsides to Giants quarterback Daniel Jones' current situation.
On Tuesday, Jones confirmed he expects to be ready to go by training camp but he continues to be limited in practice right now. During OTAs and minicamp, Jones missed 11-on-11, which was all the team did on Tuesday.
Jones isn't sweating the lack of opportunities to work with his unit, in particular a wide receiver core that includes several young players, mainly rookie Malik Nabers.
Adapting to the NFL is no easy task and for the Giants rookie, there's an added element to it in that he's not working with his likely starting quarterback. But Jones' insight reveals that doesn't mean they can't put the work in and that the problem is overblown.
"The reps we get and routes on air are valuable," Jones told reporters when asked about developing a rapport with wideouts despite not taking the field on 11-on-11. "The time we spend in the meeting room talking about things, talking about how we see certain routes, how we see things playing out against certain looks. All that stuff kind of helps build that chemistry and rapport, and you’ve got to take advantage of all the time you get. I feel like we'll be good to go."
The Jones-Nabers chemistry will be a huge storyline heading into the 2024 NFL season for obvious reasons: The former LSU Tiger enters the league as the sixth overall pick and expectations are sky high. So far, the Giants quarterback has seen nothing but confirmation of the draft season hype.
"I mean, he can do everything," Jones said without holding back. "There is not much that he can't do really from a route running standpoint. He is dynamic with the ball in his hands and strong, fast, explosive, catches the ball well. Yeah, he does a lot well."
The good news is this is just spring football that Jones is missing. Moving forward, the key will be the quarterback's health. When the Giants report to training camp, it'll be crucial that these two can get on the field together and start making up for lost time.
In the meantime, both are doing their part to hit the ground running.
"I think he can be a tremendous weapon for us," Jones added. "He’s had a good spring. He’s looked good and made a lot of plays. You know, it takes time and work and we'll put that in."
