Why Giants HC Brian Daboll is Sticking with Daniel Jones at Quarterback

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll explained how Giants quarterback Daniel Jones played in Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and why he will stick with him.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) looks for an open receiver on Sunday, October 13, 2024, in East Rutherford. / Kevin Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who usually likes to defer answers to personnel questions by saying he has to watch the film or the staff has to meet, didn’t hesitate to announce after his team was embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles 28-3 that quarterback Daniel Jones, benched during the fourth quarter, would be the starter next week when New York travels to Pittsburgh.

Nearly 24 hours and one film review session later, Daboll still hasn't changed his mind: Jones, the very same quarterback he pulled in order to provide a spark to his struggling offense, will remain the starter.  

“I think he gives us the best chance,” Daboll said after being asked what went into his decision. 

“I thought there were a lot of plays that he did exactly what he needed to do. And then, look, there were some plays where it wasn't just on Daniel; it was a collection of things. It wasn't just one person in a protection or a route–it was a collective deal.”

Daboll, who has seemingly gone out of his way to praise Jones for his decision making process, did so again on Monday.

“Look, there's always a few in there where the defense might get a disguise or it looks like something and there's a reason behind why we do what we do,” he said. “But yeah, he's taking care of the ball. He's made the right decisions for the most part.”

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Still if that was the case, then why pull Jones to begin with? Daboll, again, said it was to give the team a bit of a spark, but healthy quarterbacks who give a team “the best chance” and who are mostly doing everything right usually don’t get pulled unless there was an underlying reason.

Could it have been Daboll, realizing how out of reach the game was at that point, believed Jones was so under pressure on nearly half his drop backs– 46.7% per Pro Football Focus– that he wanted to keep the quarterback healthy rather than risk the $23 million injury guarantee that looms in Jones’s contract next year?

Whatever the reason for the timing, the Giants offense has struggled greatly of late. The 119 total yards of offense was their lowest since Week 1 of 1999.  Jones’s 99 passing yards were the fourth lowest in his career in games that he started. 

Daboll, who also said that he doesn’t intend to change up the practice reps among the quarterbacks this week in practice, said all they can do now is keep working to get better. 

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