Daniel Jones Continues to Progress Through Concussion Protocol

The Giants quarterback might be further along in his return from a nasty-looking head injury suffered against Dallas last week than first thought.

Giants head coach Joe Judge told the Los Angeles media members covering the Rams that quarterback Daniel Jones (concussion) will participate in Thursday's practice but with no contact allowed.

Giants HC Joe Judge is on a call with LA media this morning (“LMK what you guys need to get the job done”).

On QB Daniel Jones: Progressing thru concussion protocol and will participate in non-contact practice today.

On QB Stafford: “There’s really not a throw he can’t make.”

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) October 14, 2021

This development suggests that Jones is at Phase 4 of the five-phase "return to participation" protocol, club-based non-contact training drills. Here's more of what's allowed according to the protocol:

The player continues cardiovascular, strength, and balance training, team-based sports-specific exercise, and participates in non-contact football activities (e.g., throwing, catching, running, and other position-specific activities). Neurocognitive and balance testing should be completed no later than the end of Phase 4, with the results interpreted as back to baseline.

The Giants held a walkthrough practice Wednesday, and Jones was projected as a non-participant. He was seen running sprints on a back field during the part of practice open to the media. He didn't take part in the team's warm-up before practice, leaving one to believe he was in Phase 2 of the protocol at the time, which allows for cardiovascular activity.

Once practice was closed to reporters, Jones, it seems, might have been more in the Phase 3 part of the protocol, "Football-Specific Exercise," which states:

The player continues with supervised cardiovascular exercises that are increased and may mimic sport-specific activities, and supervised strength training is introduced. The player is allowed to practice with the team in sport-specific exercise for 30 minutes or less with ongoing and careful monitoring.

Considering the Giants' practice was under an hour, the timing coupled with what Judge said about Jones taking part in the practice in a non-contact variety would suggest that he was actually in Phase 3 of the protocol and not Phase 2.

On Wednesday, Judge told the New York media that he didn't rule out putting Jones on the field Sunday against the Rams if the quarterback cleared the protocol in time. Mike Glennon took the lion's share of the snaps in Wednesday's walkthrough and will probably continue to take a fair share of the snaps as Jones progresses through the protocol.

On Thursday, Judge, speaking with Giants reporters, reiterated the optimism he shared with the Rams writers about the possibility of having Jones, saying, "“At this point everything is positive.”

Jones still has to clear a few more hurdles before he will be able to play Sunday.

---

More from Giants Country

• Contrite Kadarius Toney Opens Up About His Lapse in Judgment
• Joe Judge Reveals Thoughts About Daniel Jones's Continued Use as a Runner
• Giants Preparing to Deploy Both Quarterbacks--Just in Case
• How Joe Judge Can Tell If the Giants Are Still Buying In Despite Tough Times
• Giants Need to Ensure They Do Right by Daniel Jones After Scary Looking Head Injury

Join the Giants Country Community

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

Become a premium Fan Nation member and get access to all of Fan Nation’s premium content plus a subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click here for more information or to begin your free 30-day trial.