Jun 172023
 
Daniel Jones, New York Giants (January 1, 2023)

Daniel Jones – © USA TODAY Sports

With New York Giants training camp beginning in late July, BigBlueInteractive.com (BBI) breaks down each of the team’s positional groups until the players report at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

FIND A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL BREAKDOWNS HERE

POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN: Quarterbacks

2022 YEAR IN REVIEW: At this time last year, the Giants had refused the fifth-year option on Daniel Jones, the sixth overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Most pundits and fans expected Jones to play out the final year of his contract and depart quietly in free agency, some predicting he would buckle under the pressure and be benched for Tyrod Taylor before the season ended. That didn’t happen. Instead, through hard work, perseverance, and top-notch coaching, Jones stayed healthy, dramatically cut down his mistakes, and led his team to a surprising playoff appearance. Indeed, the highlight of his season was his MVP-quality performance against the 13-4 Vikings in the first-round of the playoffs.

For the first time as a pro, Jones did not miss a game due to injury. He started 16 regular-season games, being held out of the season finale as a healthy scratch, and finished the season completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also set a franchise single-season record for quarterback rushing yards with 120 carries for 708 yards and seven touchdowns. Not only were the five interceptions a career-low, but so were his fumbles (six). His improved play occurred despite a revolving door of subpar receivers to throw to and shaky pass protection.

In March 2023, Daniel Jones was re-signed to a 4-year, $160 million contract.

ADDITIONS/SUBTRACTIONS: The only change came at the third-string spot with Davis Webb retiring and moving on to become the quarterbacks coach of the Denver Broncos. Undrafted rookie free agent Tommy DeVito was signed after the 2023 NFL Draft.

TRAINING CAMP STORY LINES: Most pundits and many fans still do not have a lot of faith in Daniel Jones and believe he is a middle-tier quarterback at best. The derogatory “game manager” label is employed. At worst, palpable hostility is easily detected from those who seemed triggered by his mere existence. Strange times. The national media story line is easy to predict: Jones has to prove his worthy of his $160 million contract. Fans are more focused on him increasing his passing touchdowns while maintaining a low turnover rate.

However, one gets the sense that the coaching staff has much more faith in Daniel Jones and fully intend for him to be much more than a “game manager” in 2023. The contract, offseason acquisitions, spring practices, and rhetoric all suggest something more. Fans forget that last summer that Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka were employing a more pass-centric offense that used the short passing game to a variety of targets. Those plans quickly went by the wayside due to injury and performance issues at wide receiver. It was so bad at times that David Sills and Marcus Johnson were starting. This spring, reporters have noted an increased emphasis on throwing the ball down the field.

The real story line could be whether or not Daboll and Kafka can help mold Daniel Jones into another Josh Allen.

ON THE BUBBLE: Barring injury, the top two spots are locked up. The Giants are very likely to carry a third quarterback on the Practice Squad, just like they did in 2022 with Davis Webb. Whether Tommy DeVito or someone not yet on the team will be that guy remains to be determined.

FROM THE COACHES AND PLAYERS: Brian Daboll on Daniel Jones: “Daniel’s a true pro. I’m not going to compare him to other guys I’ve been around, but he is constantly working. There’re times where I’ve got to say, ‘Just take a little break here.’ He just wants to work, work, work, meet. He’s a true pro… We’ve added I’d say considerably new things these camps just to see how they look. But he’s got really good give-and-take with Kafka, seeing how different players look in different spots. He’s had a really good camp… He’s made right reads, he’s had good leadership, he’s communicating well, he’s good in the meetings.”

Mike Kafka on what he is expecting out of Daniel Jones in 2023: “When we did our scheme evaluation, each position group identified several things we can look to improve on. Nothing specific that I would share in a public forum. Those are things we have a plan for, trying to work through all the little fundamental things. Yeah, we definitely have a plan. The coaches are doing a great job of implementing that in the offseason.”

Quarterbacks Coach Shea Tierney on Daniel Jones: “Far as differences (from last year), none. He’s the same guy. I don’t think Daniel will change for anyone. That’s part of the reason why I love him. Same dude. Still shows up at 6AM. First guy in there. Last guy to leave.”

Parris Campbell on what he has learned about Daniel Jones since joining the team: “Yeah, the number one thing that I’ve learned is, man, he’s a hard worker. I don’t think just from the outside looking in he gets a lot of credit for that. Like from day one, he puts so much time and effort into his craft. As a quarterback, obviously that’s something you’ve got to do. He takes it to a whole other level. I respect and applaud him for that. It gets you up, makes you want to play for a guy like that when you see him put in all that time and that work.”

PREDICTIONS: The Giants added Darren Waller, Parris Campbell, and Jalin Hyatt to the team for a reason. Same with re-signing Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard. Assistant General Manager Brandon Brown was more open about it when he said, “We did our research. We know from the fringe red zone, red zone, being a mismatch piece, (Waller) is someone that you call the problem creator. You look at what he can do in terms of opening up the field for the rest of our guys, whether it’s adding Parris Campbell, adding Slayton in terms of bringing him back, what he can do from separating, I call it stretching a defense, whether it’s vertically and laterally. He adds to that. He’s going to open up the field, and we get Wan’Dale (Robinson) back and add those pieces in the slot, Shepard back. I think it’s one of those things where he’s a force multiplier.”

The Giants are going to push the ball down the field this year. The offense will look more like the ones Buffalo and Kansas City. Saquon Barkley will still have his touches and Daniel Jones will still have his runs (just like Josh Allen in Buffalo), but the coaches are going to take the training wheels off. I suspect the message to Jones will be, “don’t be careless with the ball, but we want you to take some chances. We’re OK with some turnovers if the decision-making is sound.”

It will be addressed more in the tight end preview, but the acquisition of Darren Waller is going to be huge both for this offense and Daniel Jones in particular. Not only will he will serve as a top-notch security blanket and play-maker, but he will open things up for everyone else who touches the ball. Daniel Jones threw 15 touchdown passes last year. It’s not unreasonable to expect Waller to have eight by himself in 2023. Combine that with the other pass-receiving upgrades and Jones’ passing touchdown totals could actually double.

FINAL DEPTH CHART: Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor

Jan 042023
 
Dexter Lawrence and Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (January 1, 2023)

Dexter Lawrence and Saquon Barkley – © USA TODAY Sports

JANUARY 4, 2023 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
OC Jon Feliciano (back), DL Leonard Williams (neck), DL Dexter Lawrence (rest day), and OLB Azeez Ojulari (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday.

CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee) was limited in practice. “He’ll do a little bit more than he did last week,” said Head Coach Brian Daboll before practice.

S Xavier McKinney (fingers) fully practiced.

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
The Giants have re-signed wide receiver David Sills, who was waived from the 53-man roster on Saturday, to the Practice Squad. To make room for Sills, the Giants have terminated the Practice Squad contract of defensive lineman Jack Heflin, who signed to the Practice Squad in mid-December.

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday afternoon (12:45-2:30PM). The coordinators and select players will also address the media.

Aug 032022
 
Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (July 28, 2022)

Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley – © USA TODAY Sports

AUGUST 3, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
The New York Giants held their seventh summer training camp practice on Wednesday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“(We will be working on) first, second down,” said Head Coach Brian Daboll before practice. “Back with the pads. We’re going to do 9-on-7 today. A run drill. So, defense knows it’s run. Offense knows it’s run. I think that’s important for the guys at the line of scrimmage to compete at that knowing that’s coming.”

INJURY REPORT…
The following players remain on injury lists:

  • Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List: WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles), OC Nick Gates (leg), and OT Matt Peart (knee)
  • Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List: LB Azeez Ojulari (hamstring)

RB Antonio Williams (knee), WR Robert Foster (unknown), TE Ricky Seals-Jones (unknown), RT Matt Gono (unknown), CB Rodarius Williams (returning from ACL), and S Dane Belton (broken left collarbone) did not practice.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • The Giants practiced in full pads.
  • DL Jalyn Holmes continued to receive first-team snaps and played the run well in 9-on-7 drills.
  • Both Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan continued to see second-team reps at left and right tackle, respectively. Ben Bredeson was the left guard, Jamil Douglas the center, and Max Garcia the right guard.
  • WR Collin Johnson saw some first-team snaps.
  • In 1-on-1 pass rushing drills, OLB Quincy Roche beat RT Evan Neal with a spin move. Neal also was flagged for holding against OLB Kavyon Thibodeaux. ILB Darrian Beavers beat OL Joshua Ezeudu.
  • Also in 1-on-1 pass rushing drills, OC Jon Feliciano was able to handle NT Dexter Lawrence twice.
  • LT Andrew Thomas had no issues blocking OLB Oshane Ximines.
  • DL Leonard Williams remained a problem for those trying to block him. He’s having a strong training camp.
  • DL D.J. Davidson made his presence felt with penetration into the backfield.
  • In 11-on-11 drills, running backs Gary Brightwell and Jashaun Corbin flashed some explosiveness.
  • RB Saquon Barkley made two sharp cuts and showed a burst on a long touchdown run.
  • DL Ryder Anderson blew up a play in the backfield.
  • WR C.J. Board mishandled a perfect deep throw from QB Tyrod Taylor. Board then caught a pass from QB Daniel Jones and picked up big yardage after the catch.
  • QB Tyrod Taylor completed long passes to wide receivers Darius Slayton for a touchdown and Alex Bachman.
  • QB Davis Webb threw a deep touchdown pass to WR Kadarius Toney.
  • In 1-on-1 drills, WR Kenny Golladay scored a long touchdown despite solid coverage from CB Adoree’ Jackson on well-thrown deep ball form QB Daniel Jones.
  • First-team offensive impressed with a long touchdown drive with two QB Daniel Jones completions to WR Kenny Golladay, including one on third down; another 3rd down completion to WR David Sills and then a swing pass to RB Saquon Barkley for a touchdown with WR Wan’Dale Robinson providing a key block. Jones was 6-of-6 on this drive and he finished 9-of-10 for the day with one drop (by Robinson).
  • RB Matt Breida was left all alone on a flat pass. He turned on the jets and raced for a long touchdown with WR Alex Bachman providing a key block.
  • QB Davis Webb found WR Keelan Doss on a deep fade for a touchdown.

https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1554852261540597762

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
There is no media or public availability to the team on Thursday. The team holds its “Fan Fest” on Friday with an evening practice (6:15-8:30PM) at MetLife Stadium.

Mar 172022
 
Logan Ryan, New York Giants (October 24, 2021)

Logan Ryan – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS CUT LOGAN RYAN…
The New York Giants have terminated the contract of safety Logan Ryan, who had two years left on his 3-year, $31 million contract (he initially signed a 1-year contract with the Giants in 2020). Ryan was not designated a post-June 1st cut and it appears that his release only created $775,000 in cap savings with $11.45 million in dead money.

The Athletic is reporting that $5.5 million of $9.25 million salary for 2022 was fully guaranteed. Another $3 million would have become fully guaranteed if Ryan was on the roster on Friday. So the Giants needed to cut him before tomorrow for any savings.

In his second season with the team, Logan Ryan remained an important presence in the secondary in 2021, especially after the loss of Jabrill Peppers early in the season. Ryan started 15 games at strong safety (98 percent of all defensive snaps in those games), missing two mid-season games with COVID. He finished the season with 105 tackles (second on the team), one sack, three quarterback hits, eight pass defenses, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

The Giants signed Ryan in late August 2020. He ended up being a very important, jack-of-all-trades defensive back who was used at both safety and corner. Ryan also quickly became a team leader and solid presence in the locker room. In all, Ryan played in all 16 games with 15 starts in 2020.

The 5’11”, 195-pound Ryan was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He has spent time with the Patriots (2013-2016) and Titans (2017-2019), playing 109 regular-season games with 85 starts. Ryan has spent most of his career at corner, but now prefers to play safety. While Ryan has history of being an instinctive, play-maker, he also still misses too many tackles and can be exposed in coverage at times.

GIANTS RE-SIGN KOREY CUNNINGHAM…
The Giants have re-signed unrestricted free agent offensive tackle Korey Cunningham.

Cunningham was signed to the Practice Squad in early September 2021 and the 53-man roster in October. He ended up playing in 12 games with no starts. His only significant playing time came in Week 16 at right tackle, filling in for the injured Matt Peart. Cunningham played 88 percent of the snaps in that game, but struggled as both a pass protector and run blocker.

The 6’6”, 311-pound Cunningham was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He was traded to the New England Patriots in August 2019. The Patriots cut Cunningham in late August 2021. In four NFL seasons, Cunningham has played in 30 regular-season games, with six starts, all with the Cardinals in 2018. He has experience at both tackle positions.

MEDIA SESSION WITH TYROD TAYLOR…
The video of the media session with quarterback Tyrod Taylor is available on YouTube.

Mar 152022
 
Tyrod Taylor, Houston Texans (December 5, 2021)

Tyrod Taylor – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS SIGN TYROD TAYLOR…
The New York Giants have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent quarterback Tyrod Taylor (Houston Texans). The deal is reportedly a 2-year, $11 million contract with incentives that could raise it to $17 million.

The 32-year old, 6’1”, 217-pound Taylor was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He has spent time with the Ravens (2011-2014), Buffalo Bills (2015-2017), Cleveland Browns (2018), Los Angeles Chargers (2019-2020), and Texans (2021). Taylor has played in 78 regular-season games with 53 starts, completing 61 percent of his passes for 10,736 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. He has also rushed the ball 361 times for 2,001 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 19 touchdowns. Most of his starting experience came during a 3-year stretch with Bills where he started 43 games. Taylor started six games for the Texans in 2021, completing 61 percent of his passes for 966 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Taylor made the Pro Bowl in 2015. He is 26-25-1 in games started.

GIANTS DO NOT TENDER KYLE MURPHY…
The Giants have not tendered offensive lineman Kyle Murphy, who was set to be an exclusive rights free agent on Wednesday. This means the team is unlikely to want to re-sign Murphy.

The Giants signed Murphy as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2020 NFL Draft. He was signed to the Practice Squad in early September and then signed to the 53-man roster in mid November. Murphy did not play in a regular-season game in 2020. The Giants placed Murphy on Injured Reserve in August 2021 with an ankle injury that he suffered in the first preseason game.