The debate on whether or not the New York Giants need a franchise quarterback seems rather cut and dry at this point.
Daniel Jones isn’t it. At this rate, there aren’t many disputing that.
There’s the obvious issue regarding an inability to stay on the field — something that has allowed Giants fans to deepen their appreciation for Eli Manning’s decade-and-a-half tenure even more. After what now looks like a flash-in-the-pan 2022 in which Big Blue took advantage of an easy schedule and the luck of coming out on the right side of a litany of one-score games, Jones wasn’t as effective as Tommy DeVito has been; the undrafted rookie quarterback showing more success in Daboll’s system than the former No. 6 pick did this year.
Following the Giants’ 24-6 Week 15 loss to the New Orleans Saints, their surprising playoff hopes that were rekindled by a DeVito-led three-game winning streak are all but extinguished and the focus will hone back in on what was the talk last month when the team was dead in the water at 2-8: What happens at quarterback now?
Jones has a team option built in his contract following next season — the second of a four-year, $160 million deal doled out by general manager Joe Schoen. He’ll likely be on the roster no matter what in 2024, but the search for his successor could very well be on whether it’s for next season or 2025.
At 5-9, the Giants currently hold the seventh pick of the 2024 NFL Draft where there would be an opportunity to draft a quarterback whether that be USC’s Caleb Williams, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., or LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels.
The quarterback situation, though, should be secondary.
It doesn’t matter who might be under center in 2024 or 2025, or beyond that, because the Giants have consistently put out a sieve-like offensive line that has ineffectively protected their quarterbacks.
It’s not that the Giants haven’t invested significant draft capital on the line. They’ve done just that over the last four years by drafting seven offensive linemen, including four in the first or second rounds. There’s a clear inability to either identify the right pieces or develop the perceived high-ceiling talent, which ultimately falls on leadership more than the players themselves.
Injuries have been an issue, again, this season, and Jones showed a glaring inability to hold onto the ball for too long before he went down for the season, but it doesn’t make the numbers any less indicting. The Giants have allowed a league-worst 76 sacks this season, 15 more than the second-place Jets. It’s the second straight season they’ve ranked in the bottom five in the NFL in sacks allowed.
Throwing a young quarterback behind such a line to run for his life during the all-important acclimation process to life in the NFL is pointless and a waste of resources. The only way the Giants should realistically consider drafting a passer is by fixing the offensive line. That means allocating significant funds to bring in veteran options to strengthen the line because developing young protectors clearly isn’t working.
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