Why Giants Need to Exercise Caution with QB Daniel Jones's Latest Injury

If Daniel Jones's ankle limits his running, he needs to sit against the Packers--no exceptions. Here's why.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has seemingly spent his entire NFL career trying to prove to himself, his teammates, and the world, for that matter, that he's tough enough to overcome any challenge so long as he's able to stand up.

While all of that is admirable and a sign of a competitor, on the flip side, it's also foolish because sometimes Jones is physically worse off than he is willing to admit, and his physical limitations brought about by injury can be detrimental to what he does best.

If head coach Brian Daboll is contemplating playing Jones, whose game relies just as much on his legs as his arm, this weekend against the Green Bay Packers, he might want to look back at that time when the Giants and Jones were willing to live with the quarterback's limitations due to injury.

Jones, you may recall, suffered a hamstring strain while taking off as a runner in a game against the Bengals back in 2020. The strain was bad enough to force him to miss the following week's game against the Seahawks, and in retrospect, Jones probably should have missed the game after that, against the Cardinals, given the severity of his injury.

But that wasn't the case. Jones, who has been known to downplay his aches and pains and insist on playing even if he has to do so on one leg, somehow managed to convince the training staff and then head coach Joe Judge that he was healthy enough to play against the Cardinals.

Except he wasn't. Jones's mobility, which again is a big part of his game, was gone. He took a beating behind a shaky offensive line, absorbing six sacks, fumbling three times, and failing to record a single rushing attempt for the first time in his career while also ending up with a sprained ankle that forced him out of the following week's game.

Daboll, on the other hand, has shown he'd rather a guy miss a game or two, especially early on in the season, if the medical staff believes it to be in the player's best interest than to throw caution to the wind and hope for the best.

"We take every injury serious here, and we try to do everything we can do to put the player’s best interest in mind," he said. "That’s what we’ll always do." 

This is what he has to do with Jones, no matter how loudly the quarterback protests, if by the end of the week, Jones is unable to move around in the pocket and use his legs to the extent that makes him fully competitive.

While Daboll didn't want to reveal which way he was leaning regarding Jones, given how early in the week it was, he admitted that Jones's dual-threat ability is something to consider.

“He can throw it from the pocket just fine," Daboll said. “Obviously, he has another skill set that you can utilize, whether it’s move the pocket or some zone reads. So the first thing we do is make sure he’s as healthy as can be, and if he can do the things we need him to do for that game plan, then we talk about it. If he can’t, then he can’t."

If Jones isn't healthy enough to play, what's the backup plan? Tyrod Taylor is currently in the league's concussion protocol, and it's probably a safe bet to assume he's not going to be cleared by the time the Giants have to board the plane Thursday night for London.

The Giants have Davis Webb, who is very familiar with the offensive system, on the practice squad, and it's also another safe bet that he will be elevated. Jones could be the backup to Webb, but Daboll, who said the team was going to work out some quarterbacks, might want to see if Brian Lewerke, who was with the team earlier in the year and who presumably has a decent enough grasp on the playbook, is available.

Daboll, in his short time as a first-year NFL head coach, has always done right by the players while also finding that balance in doing right by the team. He's also remained several steps ahead of the competition by planning for every possible scenario that could pop up.

But in this case, while Jones can throw the ball just fine from the pocket, considering the team's woes at receiver, it's hard to envision Daboll not wanting a quarterback that can run and pass without putting himself in harm's way.  

---

Join the Giants Country Community

• Sign up for our FREE digest newsletter
• Follow and like us on Facebook
• Submit your questions for our mailbag
• Check out the new Giants Country YouTube Channel.
• Listen and subscribe to the daily LockedOn Giants podcast.
• Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
• Sign up for our FREE message board forums