Giants Notebook: Brian Daboll on Jayden Daniels, Deonte Banks, and More

Leftovers from the Giants media sessions.

Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll is shown after his team lost 17-7 against the Cincinnati Bengals 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 was famously caught on camera this offseason during the Hard Knocks filming saying that he would trade up to have a chance at acquiring then-LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daboll and the Giants never got that chance, but they will be able to see the dynamic rookie twice a year since he landed in the division with Washington. And they’ll get a chance to see him again this weekend when the Giants host the Commanders.

“He's one of the better quarterbacks in the league already,” Daboll said. “He's got great vision. He can throw the ball in any area he needs to throw it. He can throw it under pressure. He can escape and make plays with his feet. He can escape and make plays with his arm. He's got good command, which we knew. 

“He was a smart guy when we spoke with him. He's playing well, at a high level. You can tell there's a lot of confidence in him. He has a lot of yards per attempt. Eight and a half, which is good. He makes good decisions. He does a lot of good things.”

Daniels has become a leading contender for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He currently leads the league’s third-best offense, and his 1,736 passing yards , one spot above Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who has 1,706 passing yards. 

Speaking of Jones, Daboll’s response, when asked about what he’s seen from him over the last couple of weeks that started with his benching and followed through with Jones’s failure to play above the Xs and Os in crunch time, was more direct.

“Consistent. He's usually pretty level-headed,” Daboll said. “We look at the things that he did well, which was certainly part of them. Go through some of the things we can fix and then move on to the next week. That's what you need to do.” 

But nothing different, then?

“No, he's consistent,” Daboll reiterated. “He comes in. He spends a lot of time here. He does everything he can to take care of his body. Spends a ton of time with the film. Spends extra time with the linemen, the (running) backs, and the (wide) receivers. Comes out here and practices the right way. Tries to be as good as he can be.”

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Deonte Banks Gets Another Chance

Second-year cornerback Deonte Banks, whom Daboll said on Tuesday would get another chance to start this coming week after being benched last week in the second quarter.

Banks has had issues with his effort over the last several weeks, drawing the ire of the coaching staff. Against the Steelers, he didn’t appear to have blatant effort issues, raising questions about whether he wasn’t following the game plan’s script or if something else in his game irked the coaching staff.

Whatever it was, the rookie, who promised not to let his effort lapse again in the days leading up to last week’s game, again drew the coaches’ ire. 

But now Daboll is certain that Banks, who will start against the Commanders, will be moving forward.

“I think we're in a good spot here. I think he'll be ready to go,” Daboll said of Banks.

Why does he think that? 

“I think he'll be ready to go,” Daboll said again. “I think he's ready to go.” 

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Azeez Ojulari Not Looking Ahead

As the NFL trade deadline fast approaches, outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari’s name keeps mentioning a lot as a potential trade candidate.

Ojulari, the team’s second-round pick in 2021, is in the final year of his rookie contract. Limited in his last few years due to injury, he’s finally healthy and is showing the league how productive he can be if given the chance.

He is second on the team in sacks with six, three behind Dexter Lawerence. Four of those sacks came in the last three games since he took over for the injured Kayvon Thibodeaux.

With Ojualri looking to increase his value, it will be interesting to see if the Giants will move him in a trade to a team needing a pass rusher, such as Detroit. But as far as Ojulari is concerned, he’s not worrying about anything other than the upcoming game against Washington.

“I’m just here every day. Whatever happens, happens. I’m just ready to keep working here. I love it here. Ready to keep working. I’m just doing my thing,” he said Wednesday.

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