The New York Giants enter the 2024 NFL season with questions at the quarterback (QB) position. One question the team has emphatically tried to put to bed through the offseason and in this past week’s mandatory minicamp, is around the starter.
Daniel Jones, entering his sixth year with the Giants, has been named the starter… a few times. Coming off a devastating knee injury in 2023, his health will be of paramount concern and importance, for both his career, the 2024 season for the Giants, and the Giants cap situation.
Gone is Tyrod Taylor, last year’s backup that has moved on to the New York Jets. He is replaced by Drew Lock. Lock is an experienced backup who has some starts under his belt. He was most recently with the Seattle Seahawks after starting his career with the Denver Broncos.
The returning third-stringer is Tommy DeVito, who enjoyed his 15+ minutes of fame in 2023. Forced into duty with the injuries to Jones and Taylor, DeVito performed admirably for an undrafted rookie and became known for his nickname “Tommy Cutlets,” after the meal his North Jersey family prepares for him.
Jonesing to Stay Healthy
Jones entered the NFL as the number six overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft. A 6’-5” QB out of Duke University, Jones was arguably over-drafted by the Giants at #6 in the first round. Looking to find the next Eli Manning, the Giants drafted the strong-armed signal caller out of a non-powerhouse football program where he was a quiet leader. The last QB the Giants drafted with a first round pick was Dave Brown (with a supplemental 1992 pick). That did not end well for the Giants. Jones has already outplayed the career of Brown, but he has been up and down.
Jones was put into the lineup as a rookie in 2019, and impressed overall. He finished the season with a 61.9% completion percentage (the lowest of his career) along with 24 touchdowns (TDs) and 12 interceptions (INTs) while covering 3,027 yards, good for a rating of 87.7 and QBR of 55.7. Turnovers were the concern, with 11 fumbles lost in addition to the 12 INTs. From there, he regressed a bit in 2020 and 2021 with injuries creeping up (11 games played in 2021, with his season ended by a neck injury).
In addition to his passing abilities, Jones has shown the propensity to run the ball effectively. That skill has opened up the offense with another dimension, but also put Jones more at risk for injury (which has certainly come to fruition). Jones has rushed for 1,914 yards in his career with 13 TDs.
The Giants, and owner John Mara in particular, have taken responsibility for Jones’s inconsistency. When Mara and the team introduced Joe Schoen as the team’s GM in early 2022, Mara stated, “We do feel Daniel can play. We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up.” Over his first five years, Jones has played for three different head coaches, Pat Shurmur (2019), Joe Judge (2020 and 2021) and Daboll (2022 and 2023).
2022 was set up as a make or break year for Jones. The Giants did not pick up his fifth year option. Despite Mara’s comments, his success would hinge on his ability to pick up yet another offense, this time with Daboll, renowned for his work with Josh Allen in Buffalo. Jones hit it out of the park and earned a four year, $160 million extension through the 2026 season which made him a Top 10 paid QB at the time. He thrived under Daboll’s and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka’s tutelage, playing 16 games, completing 67.2% of his passes, for 3,205 yards with 15 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Importantly, he cut down his lost fumbles to only three. He contributed to the rushing game too, with 708 yards and seven TD’s.
Following the successful 2022 which included a road playoff win in Minnesota, Jones struggled again in 2023 and suffered through an injury-plagued year, with a neck injury and then a season-ending ACL tear. His stats ended up at six games played, 909 yards passing with two TD’s and six INT’s for a rating of 70.5 and QBR of 36.3, with 206 rushing yards and a touchdown rushing.
Heading into 2024, there were rumblings that the Giants wanted to trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select a QB (likely Drake Maye out of North Carolina). They were unable to do that, and instead drafted Malik Nabers, who could prove to be the best weapon Jones has had in his Giants tenure. Their ability to gel will be key.
The health of Jones has been a storyline through the offseason and minicamp. Daboll has stressed that Jones is still the starter, and he is expected to fully participate in training camp. In addition to managing the starting lineup, the health of Jones is critical to the salary cap. In March 2025, the Giants can cut Jones before $12 million of his contract becomes fully guaranteed; however, if Jones is injured and can’t pass a physical $23 million of his $30 million 2025 salary becomes guaranteed. An injury such as the ACL he is currently rehabbing would prevent him from passing a physical.
So, Jones and the Giants remain closely tied, for both success on the field and salary cap implications moving forward. His ability to gel with new weapons like Nabers, and Devin Singletary, and new offensive lineman like John Runyan and Jermaine Eluemunor, will be critical to the offense’s success. In Mandatory Minicamp, Jones did not participate in team drills but is back to running and expects to be full speed for training camp.
A Lock to Backup Jones, or Can He Start?
When the Giants signed Drew Lock as a free agent, there was some confusion as to why. Common sense would say that it was to be the backup to Jones given Jones’s contract and past success with Daboll and Kafka (2023 notwithstanding).
However, his most recent former team, the Seattle Seahawks, created a bit of a strange situation for Lock and his new team with some comments GM John Schneider made when he signed with the Giants. The comments focused on Lock’s ability to compete for the starting job. Schneider claimed they wanted to bring Lock back to Seattle but he was promised a chance to compete for the starting job with the Giants in 2024. Both Lock and the Giants have denied that.
Lock entered the league as a second round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2019 out of Missouri. He was traded to Seattle in 2022 as part of the Russell Wilson deal. After not playing in his first year with Seattle, he started two games in 2023 while primarily backing up Geno Smith.
Over his career, Lock has completed 59.7% of his passes with 28 TDs and 23 INTs. He has also rushed for 299 yards and five touchdowns.
Lock represents more of a traditional pocket passer profile relative to the mobility that Jones has shown. This traditional presence, assuming solid offensive line play, should lead to longevity in case Lock is forced into action in 2024. Following an injury-prone starter with an injury-prone backup is likely what ended the likable Taylor’s days for Big Blue so staying on the field if and when the opportunity arises is important.
Success in 2024 for the Giants would likely involve Lock not seeing the field much. However, his ability to help Jones with what he sees during games could be a valuable addition to the team.
Chopping Up Cutlets from the Sideline
The feel good story for the 2023 Giants was Tommy DeVito. The undrafted rookie sensation took New York, and the NFL, by storm for a few weeks. However, like many that experience quick success in the NFL, there was some reversion to the mean by the end of the season.
Due to injuries to Jones and Taylor, Tommy Cutlets saw his first game action against the Jets in a messy, rain-soaked Met Life Stadium. Daboll did not open the playbook for DeVito, as he finished with more rushes (four) than completions (two, on seven pass attempts). As the weeks went on, DeVito seemed more comfortable and this culminated with NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors following a victory over the Packers. In that game, DeVito went 17 for 21 for 158 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, along with 71 rushing yards.
Following the win over Green Bay, DeVito put up okay numbers in New Orleans but the Giants lost 24-6. The following week, in Philadelphia against the Eagles, DeVito continued to struggle and gave way back to Taylor to finish the season.
DeVito went undrafted out of college, playing for Illinois in 2022 after starting his college career with Syracuse. A New Jersey native, DeVito’s 2023 claim to fame came from both on-field exploits as noted above, as well as his living situation. He still lived at home with his parents in New Jersey as he followed his NFL dream. DeVito’s mother continued to do his laundry and make his meals including Chicken Cutlets. Hence, the Tommy Cutlets nickname was born.
For the Giants to have a successful 2024 campaign, Tommy Cutlets should take on the name Tommy Clipboard. If he sees the field, it should be in the preseason and mop-up duty. Depending on how things progress with Lock, maybe DeVito makes a play for the backup job by the end of the year.
In Summary
The Giants have hitched their QB wagon to Jones for 2024. With Daboll potentially calling plays, there should be enough opportunities for him to earn the large contract he is being paid.
If Jones fails to live up to his contract, the front office needs to hope it’s not because of another devastating injury. That would guarantee a large portion of his 2025 salary and put the Giants in a concerning salary cap situation.
Of course, if Jones stays healthy and gets the Giants back to the playoffs, he will have been worth every penny.
Stats by espn.com
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