A heightened increase in expectations is what awaits the New York Giants in their second season under Brian Daboll.
That’s what happens when you win a playoff game for the first time in close to a decade while getting career years out of many important pieces.
One of those players coming off a career-best year is none other than quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones posted his best year both by passing (3,200 yards with only five interceptions) and running the football (700 rushing yards). That helped him get a nice four-year, $160 million extension with the team that drafted him sixth overall in the 2019 NFL draft.
But as Jones and the rest of the quarterback room gear up for another season, questions should begin on just how good the former Duke product will be in his second year under Brian Daboll and Mika Kafka.
It’s hard to maintain success in the NFL. Especially when the incoming schedule is expected to be tougher than it was the year prior. New York owns the third-hardest schedule going into the 2023 season based on the winning percentage of their upcoming opponents from last season.
So how good can Jones be in 2023? What will the quarterback need to show in training camp this season?
In the end, it’s always difficult to judge how a quarterback should look in training camp. Last training camp, Jones struggled mightily to move the football as he learned a new system. At times, the quarterback looked overmatched and was outplayed by his backups during certain drills.
It’s clear that did not carry over to the regular season. The Giants know what they have in Jones and have spent the offseason adding targets that should increase the quarterback’s efficiency and overall numbers. Parris Campbell and Darren Waller are two newcomers that are not just massive upgrades from the previous year but should help further Jones’ development in a major way.
Campbell and Waller’s importance will help in Jones’ development in several ways. Waller’s 6’6″ frame will help specifically in the red zone where Jones will be relied upon less to run – keeping him healthy for the entire season. Campbell’s injury history also hides the fact that he is a sure-handed receiver that has the big-play ability – another thing New York sorely missed during 2022.
With all that being said, the Giants need Jones to show that he is worthy of the multi-year extension he received this offseason. So while bad practices are sure to come throughout a month of competitive work, New York can’t be as patient as they were with their quarterback room last season.
That’s where the increase in expectations could change how Jones is seen as the Giants’ signal caller.
For training camp this year, mastery of the offense is expected, while gelling well with a new host of pass catchers will be extremely important. If the quarterback can’t get on the same page with the newcomers quickly, the Giants could very well be looking at a struggling start to the 2023 season.
In short, while the numbers and eye test weren’t as important to his play in 2022, Jones will need to take a major step in training camp to show that he can be the franchise quarterback that the Giants are paying him to be.
Jones’ backups will also be under the limelight at times. Tyrod Taylor is a very serviceable backup to have and should provide a level of calm should Jones go down. Undrafted free agent Tommy DeVito will compete for a roster spot but should be a nice kind of player for the Giants to develop.
