Giants QB Daniel Jones's "Dog" Mentality Winning Over Teammates, Coaches

Giants QB Daniel Jones is playing with a swagger and toughness as his back is against a wall ahead of a critical season.

Aug 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) looks around after the preseason game between the New York Giants and Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium. / Scott Rausenberger-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants running back Devin Singletary hasn’t known quarterback Daniel Jones all that long, but he already has a good idea of what the sixth-year signal caller is all about.

“He's a dog,” said Singletary, who joined the team as an unrestricted free agent back in March. “He comes to work every day. Definitely a playmaker. I feel like we're going to have a lot of fun this year with him.”

There might still be scores of Giants fans who don’t quite see Jones in that light, but the quarterback has been on a mission this offseason into the summer to erase any negative perceptions people have of him after his first five seasons in the league.

For starters, there was Jones’s approach to rehab from a torn ACL. Various teammates and coaches have all agreed that Jones has been relentless in his rehab, pushing himself to the max yet knowing when to back down so as not to create a setback.

As far back as the start of the offseason conditioning program, Jones told anyone who asked that his goal was to be 100 percent cleared and ready to go for training camp, an accomplishment he was able to meet.

The sometimes bearded Jones has even shown more fearlessness, such as when he jumped into a fray during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions last week in an attempt to stand up for his teammate, an action that further earned him Brownie points among his teammates and coaches.

“I'd want Daniel Jones on my team any day of the week,” said quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney. Yeah. We don't want 'em running in there into fights and all that, but sticking up for his guy and being there to have your teammates back is definitely something we want. And I’ll take Daniel Jones any day.”

Tierney believes that Jones’s aCL injury, in which he had football taken away from him, helped spark the new attitude that’s been on display this summer.

“I think Daniel always wants to be out there, so yeah, anytime something gets taken away from you, and you feel like you can't be out there the way you want, I think all of us would feel like that,” Tierney said. 

“I don't know if it's being grateful or hungrier to be out there, but yeah, I think it's fair to say.”

Jul 25, 2024; East Rutherford, NY, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) scrambles during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

In what’s a critical training camp for Jones, who at one point was looking at the possibility of being replaced by a rookie had the Giants been able to execute a trade-up in the 2024 draft order, the former Duke star has clearly been practicing with a chip on his shoulder. 

Everything from his running the huddle to his off-field demeanor has left little doubt that he means business and is intent on convincing general manager Joe Schoen to forget about that escape hatch that exists in his contract after this season that some would argue is begging to be used.

Although Jones started camp with an up-and-down performance, he has recently begun stringing together more consistent performances. 

On Tuesday, he had perhaps his best practice of the summer, a padded affair that saw him hit both his deep and short-to-intermediate passes with laser-like precision as he gears up for his first preseason action since tearing his ACL last November.

“He's made strides every day,” head coach Brian Daboll said of Jones. “It's been a steady improvement from when we started when he had his first go-through in team and had people around his legs. There are new things, new pieces, new tight ends, new receiver. So, that's always a work in progress.”

But progress has been made and noticed.

“Just the way he attacks every day,” Singletary said of his quarterback. “In practice, on the field, how he goes about his business. You know a dog when you see a dog.”

“Him coming back from the injury–I think he's done a fantastic job. He's continuing to grow, and he's done well here these last couple of weeks,” Daboll added.

The next step for Jones will be to transfer all that progress onto the playing field, where he won’t have the benefit of wearing the red jersey that protects him against a live pass rush. Jones looked sharp in Tuesday’s practice despite not having rookie Malik Nabers in the team drills, and he’ll look to continue that starting this weekend against the Houston Texans.

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