The New York Giants have been adamant through the first few months of the 2022-23 season that Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback.
With the organization declining the fifth-year option on the former first-round pick, all eyes have surrounded Daniel Jones in training camp to see if he could show that he is worthy of being a franchise quarterback for the Giants.
Yet even after numerous press conferences in which he defended his starter, it looks like head coach Brian Daboll is changing his tune.
“I have full confidence in (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and full confidence in Tyrod and what his role is. Each day, we sit there and we evaluate the guys. But will he (Taylor) get a few reps here or there? He might.” Daboll said before Tuesday’s practice.
The response led Daboll to quickly respond in saying that this was something that was planned and a part of his practice process.
“I learned from a pretty good coach a while ago, usually he doesn’t tell those guys when he throws them in because that’s what the backup’s role is. You have to go in on a split second. You prepare like you’re a starter. But the fourth play of a game, something happens, you’re in, you got to be ready to go. So, I don’t necessarily think we’ll tell those guys when that will happen.” the coach added.
On the surface, there’s nothing really to an announcement like this. It’s normal for backups to get some reps involved and keep them engaged in an offense. After all, Taylor and other backups are just one play away from being starters.
Daboll also reinforced that Jones is the starting quarterback for the Giants this season. But there are underlying factors here that get in the way.
As reported earlier last week, there have been several practices where it appeared that Tyrod Taylor had been outplaying Daniel Jones. Add in the fact that the Giants offense as a whole has been lackluster over the last few weeks in practice and questions surrounding the quarterback position will only increase.
That struggles on offense haven’t been all because of Jones either. Receivers have struggled to gain separation, and the interior offensive line struggling is all being compounded together.
But Daboll openly saying that the backup quarterback would take some first team reps doesn’t help that situation either.
In a new system, the starting quarterback should be taking all of the reps with the first team as familiarity and communication are key to any new system. Even Daboll added in a later question that chemistry is key for a new offense.
You also don’t hear the same thing from other coaches around the league. Gardner Minshw isn’t taking first team reps from Jalen Hurts. Cooper Rush isn’t taking reps away from Dak Prescott either.
The Gaints are in new territory though with a new coach and general manager.
It’s incredibly important for whoever is leading the Giants offense to get as many reps as possible. If a team is openly having more than one quarterback take reps with the first team offense, it usually means there’s a quarterback controversy on the roster.
No Giants QB Controversy…Yet
The Giants won’t go that far though. Daniel Jones took all the first team reps in Tuesday’s practice, as he’s done all training camp.
It doesn’t take away from the fact though that with the offenses continuing to struggle in practice, and with the coach now saying that another quarterback could get first team reps, it poses even greater questions to the quarterback position.
Time will tell just how many reps Taylor would get with the first team, but even if he comes in for a series or two, it’s less time that Jones has to gell in a far more complex offensive system that he and his teammates have seen as a member of the Giants.
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