New York Giants Position Review: Quarterbacks

The Giants quarterback situation is at a crossroads thanks to injuries and free agency.

The quarterback position is perhaps the one spot on any team that requires stability. Yet, the position group is at a crossroads for the New York Giants.

One year into a 4-year, $160 million contract extension, starter Daniel Jones not only regressed, he also was bitten again by the injury bug in having to deal with his second neck injury in three years (though one that didn't keep him sidelined as long as the one he suffered in 2021) and a torn ACL which could affect his mobility, one of his best assets, once he's cleared to return.

Tyrod Taylor, one of this team's best backup quarterback since David Carr, was solid but remained injury-prone. He's set to hit free agency, and while general manager Joe Schoen didn't rule out bringing him back, the odds are that Taylor will move on.

And Tommy DeVito, whose old-world Italian charm and ability to win three games in a row to keep the Giants slim playoff hopes alive (including one win over the Green Bay Packers, who knocked off the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs), kept reminding people that he was a rookie whose development had to be expedited given the injuries in front of him.

Schoen has openly admitted they must address the quarterback situation, though whether that will be through free agency, the draft, or both remains to be seen. The Giants are in a great position in the draft to get a franchise quarterback if they feel Jones isn't the long-term answer. Granted, getting a franchise signal-caller could involve moving up, but Schoen has yet to show any type of allergy toward moving up if there's a player he has to have.

Meanwhile, Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have both said that Jones is expected to be the starter when healthy. But for the anti-Jones folks out there, if the Giants dip their toes into the quarterback-rich draft class, as many expect will be the case, Jones will probably be a placeholder until the rookie is ready to step in, much like in the way Kurt Warner served as a placeholder for Eli Manning back in 2004.

Oct 8, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) scrambles with the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Jones

Supporters will point to the rash of injuries the offense had to deal with that cost the offense multiple lost games by running back Saquon Barkley, tight end Darren Waller, and left tackle Andrew Thomas, the three biggest key players on offense. 

Still more will point to the overmatched offensive line, which went through numerous combinations because of injury yet which showed season-long issues such as an inability to pick up stunts and some communication flaws, all of which led to the termiantion of coach Bobby Johnson.

But Jones isn't blameless in the debacle that saw him a part of five blowout losses in the six games he played and in which he only had one good half of football, that in a come-from-behind win against Arizona in Week 2, which had been shaping up to be another blowout loss. 

Jones, who ever since he came to the NFL has showed that he doesn't process what he sees as quickly as he should--and that problem hasn't improved since he was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft--does a good enough job reading defenses pre-snap, but once the ball is snapped, that's where he often runs into trouble. 

The pounding he took behind the sieve that was his offensive line made him gunshy, but he didn't do much to slow down the rush; his decision-making was forced and haphazard, and he looked more like a rookie than a guy who was just a year ago played well enough to earn a new contract.

Per Pro Football Focus, 20 percent of the sacks he took were his doing, the fifth-highest percentage among quarterbacks who had at least 80 dropbacks.

Although the Giants brass is saying all the right things about Jones and the expectations of him being the starter, actions will speak much louder than words. And if the Giants make a splash at quarterback in free agency or the first round of the draft, that will tell you everything you need to know about how they really feel about the most important position on the team. 

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) calls a play during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field / ill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Tyrod Taylor

Thirty-four-year-old mobile quarterbacks who are slightly built and aggressive with their legs don’t have a long shelf life in this league. Taylor’s penchant for injury is his biggest red flag. He missed five games, returned for mop-up duties in New Orleans, and finished with three strong efforts. 

In those three games, Taylor showed the league that he still has plenty left in the tank. His mobility and pocket feel were top-notch. He threw an excellent deep ball. He was smart, he showed his experience, he was competitive. 

In the final game when, he led his team to an easy victory against the Eagles, one in which he had to leave the game twice with injury. Taylor was tough enough to return and finish what he started, but that injury factor, again, is a huge red flag and should give the team pause in considering whether to re-sign the pending UFA.  

New York Giants 2024 UFA Primer: QB Tyrod Taylor

Tommy DeVito 

Not since Jeremy Linn has a player captured the hearts and imaginations of a team's fan base. That was DeVito, a 25-year-old rookie UDFA who was never meant to see the field as a rookie but had to, thanks to the injuries to the two guys in front of him.

After a blowout loss to the Cowboys in his first start, DeVito led the Giants to three straight wins, including a Monday night victory over the Packers, a stretch that kept the Giants' dying playoff hopes alive.

But for as good as DeVito was with his ball security (zero turnovers despite being under heavy pressure weekly and only three interceptions in 178 pass attempts), DeVito's game looked like a rookie's. 

Dec 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

He held the ball far too long, his average time in the pocket being a whopping 3.09 seconds (2.8 seconds to throw). As a result, he absorbed 37 sacks--one sack every 4.8 pass attempts--most of those because of his indecisiveness in holding the ball so long.

He was under pressure on 90 of his dropbacks, of which 11.1 percent of those pressures were of his own doing. But there are positives to DeVito's game. He showed he has an NFL arm and can throw almost every pass. He was calm and collected out there, never showing any signs of frustration or the game being too big.

With some additional seasoning and work this off-season, there is no reason why DeVito can't develop into a solid QB2 option in the future.

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