New York Giants Training Camp Player Preview: QB Tyrod Taylor

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor might just be the most underrated yet important player on the Giants roster.

Next to the offensive line, no other position on the Giants was as important as the backup quarterback spot. In his review of the roster, he inherited that included a less than favorable backup quarterback solution, general manager Joe Schoen produced a solution that should cover them regardless of the circumstances moving forward.

That solution is Tyrod Taylor, most recently with Houston but yet another player with a Buffalo connection—he took the Bills to their first playoff berth this century back in 2017, the first-year Schoen was with the club.

Taylor is a 10-year veteran who played with the Chargers, Cleveland, and Houston in addition to the Ravens and Bills. He has 53 starts in 78 games and holds a 26-25-1 record as a starter, including a 2-4 record last year with the Texans.

Taylor has completed 946 of 1,542 (61.3 percent) pass attempts for 10,736 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions.

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What He Brings

The first thing about Taylor is that he has embraced his role as a backup. Whereas most quarterbacks would at least want an opportunity to compete for a starting job, especially on a team where the quarterback situation is murky, Taylor begins his Giants career with an understanding--and more importantly, an acceptance--of where he sits in the pecking order.

But if his number should be called, Taylor's presence shouldn't bring about the drop-off in production we saw last year when Jones went down with a neck injury. Taylor can do many of the same things Jones can do, some even better.

One of Taylor's most underrated attributes is his deep passing. He throws a beautiful and, more importantly, accurate deep ball that's not only catchable but one his receivers don't usually have to work hard to come up with.

Taylor is also elusive in the pocket; watch how he uses his legs to get himself out of trouble when things break down around him. Whether it's rolling around in the pocket or taking off downfield to pick up yardage, Taylor has the mobility teams desire in their quarterbacks today.

Conversely, Taylor can sometimes be too cautious with the ball. There are often throws to be made that he's declined to make because he doesn't trust what he sees. This results in him holding onto the ball longer than he should (hence absorbing pressures) and in low-scoring games.

In eating the ball, Taylor also has opened himself up to a greater injury risk, which has been an issue for him for the last two years. Last season he missed six games with a hamstring strain. He also suffered a wrist injury later in the season. The year before, Taylor dealt with a punctured lung and a rib injury. So durability is a bit of a concern when it comes to Taylor.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

His Contract

Taylor signed a two-year, $11 million contract with a $4.2 million signing bonus and $100,000 total in workout bonuses, and up to $6 million in play-time-related incentives that can push the deal upwards of $18 million.

In 2022, his cap number is $2.7 million and includes a fully guaranteed $1.25 million base salary and a $50,000 workout bonus he presumably has collected from his off-season attendance.

In 2023, Taylor's base salary jumps to $5.45 million, of which only $2.725 million is fully guaranteed. Taylor's pay adjusts accordingly if he has to take over as the starting quarterback next season until the full-time replacement is ready.

Lastly, he has a voidable year in his deal which kicks in on February 10, 2024, and which helps with spreading out his signing bonus to three years instead of two, making it $1.4 million per year (the dead money cap charge that will hit the team's 2024 salary cap.)

Taylor's 2022 cap hit is $2.7 million (1.3 percent of the total cap). In 2023, it jumps up to $6.9 million or 3.1 percent of the cap.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Roster Projections/Expectations

Barring anything crazy, Taylor will be the No. 2 quarterback on this team's roster. The only thing to be seen is if he plays and, if so, how much.

The Giants, for obvious reasons, are hoping he doesn't have to play much, if at all, as that would mean Jones is either injured or failing in his quest to silence his critics. But it must be nice for the team to know that it has a decent backup option just in case something happens with the starter.

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