Daniel Jones has gotten off to a slow start at 2024 training camp, but that didn’t stop New York Giants president and CEO John Mara from doubling down on his quarterback on August 1.
“Listen, I’m still happy we gave [Jones] that contract because I thought he played really well for us in [2022],” Mara told reporters at the Hackensack University Medical Center (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan).
“Last year he got hurt,” the franchise’s co-owner went on. “And let’s be honest, when he was playing, we weren’t blocking anybody. So, let’s give him a chance with a better offensive line and with some weapons around him to see what he can do.”
Mara also admitted that he was “nervous” about trading up for a quarterback in the draft because he feared the Giants would sacrifice too much in order to do so. His uneasiness appeared visible during HBO’s NYG version of “Hard Knocks” — which provided a behind the scenes look at the offseason — but Mara did make sure to add that he was “prepared to let” general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll trade up “if that’s what they wanted to do.”
“We made a decision to stay with Daniel and add a weapon for him,” the long-time face of the Giants concluded on Thursday afternoon. “I think that’s going to work out.”
Giants QB Daniel Jones Puts Together ‘Best Practice of Camp’
On Tuesday, July 30, Jones and the Giants offense had what was widely considered their “worst” practice of training camp. Part of this was due to injuries and shuffling around on the offensive line — sound familiar? Still, the NYG QB1 wasn’t consistent, which has been the issue all summer.
On August 1, however, Jones provided a glimmer of hope according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.
“Daniel Jones bounced back with his best practice of camp after his worst on Tuesday,” Duggan reported. “He threw a really nice deep ball for a TD to [wide receiver] Malik Nabers, who got behind [cornerback] Cor’Dale Flott, and a deep TD to a wide-open [WR in] Jalin Hyatt on a scramble drill. Also had a nice pass to [tight end] Theo Johnson up the seam.”
The beat writer did also note one interception by linebacker Dyontae Johnson that came “off an impressive leaping tip by [fellow linebacker] Bobby Okereke on a pass into traffic over the middle.”
“Talkin’ Giants” podcast host Bobby Skinner agreed that Jones had his “best day” on August 1.
Detailing: “Daniel Jones [went] 11/15 at practice today with 2 TDs & 1 INT. Deep TD to Malik Nabers on an out & up on 3rd & long then found Jalin Hyatt wide open on a scramble to his right. Interception was trying to fit in a pass to [tight end] Daniel Bellinger between linebackers.”
If Jones is going to prove Mara right and make good on his $47.85 million cap hit, he’ll need to stack more days like these as the Giants head toward Week 1.
Giants President & CEO John Mara Still Believes in Joe Schoen & Brian Daboll
Jones wasn’t the only person Mara defended on August 1. He also spoke on his continued belief in Schoen and Daboll (via NorthJersey.com reporter Art Stapleton).
I asked him why he believes in Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll in Year 3 and beyond, which has not happened for team since Tom Coughlin:
“Two things. One, the communication between the two of them,” Mara replied after being asked why he still has faith in his current leadership pair. “They seem to be always on the same page and when there’s any kind of disagreement, they talk it out.”
“Two, Joe’s process is so thorough,” he continued. “I think you saw a little bit of that in the show but the amount of work that they do evaluating players, the amount of discussions that they have, it’s a very hard-working group. I just have a lot of confidence [in them].”
Mara also cited Schoen and Daboll’s prior success as a third reason for believing in them, stating that he expects the team to “take a big step forward” in 2024.
