Daniel Jones showing improvement

The Athletic's Dan Duggan writes that Giants QB Daniel Jones “looks so much more comfortable” in the offense compared to last summer. It’s understandable, as he enters Year 2 alongside HC Brian Daboll and OC Mike Kafka. New TE Darren Waller is drawing rave reviews for his work in training camp, too. As the QB14 in ADP, Jones looks like a fine draft day target.

Giants QB Daniel Jones' goal is to be medically cleared for the start of training camp, he told the media on Monday. That'd be about nine months after tearing his right ACL on November 5. "Rehab’s going well," Jones said. "Making good progress. Coming along. I feel like things are going well." He added that he's now able to throw while doing "some QB movements," per Newsday's Tom Rock. We'll continue to keep an eye on Jones' rehab. But the knee is just one issue for a guy coming off an ugly 2023 campaign that saw him average just 5.7 yards per pass attempt while taking a sack on 15.8% of his dropbacks. Jones is no better than a QB3 in early best-ball drafts.

Giants HC Brian Daboll would not commit to QB Daniel Jones (knee) being ready for the start of the 2024 season. He's working his way back from a torn right ACL suffered in early November. Jones said in February that his goal is to be back for the start of training camp, but his progress will be worth watching closely this spring and summer. Daboll added that Jones remains the starter when healthy, despite the addition of QB Drew Lock and the Giants holding the sixth overall pick of next month's draft. "When he gets back he'll be the guy," Daboll said.

Giants QB Daniel Jones (knee) said recently that his goal is to be ready for the start of training camp. He's working his way back from a torn right ACL suffered in early November. “My rehab is going well,” Jones said. “I’m making progress. I’m three months into it, and I’ve started running on the anti-gravity treadmill. It’s going well.” Jones will be almost nine months removed from the injury when camp gets going -- and over ten months removed when the 2024 season kicks off. He has a good chance to be cleared by Week 1, although it's likely that his mobility is limited at least early in the season. That, of course, is a big part of whatever fantasy value Jones brings to the table. He's just a QB3 target in early best ball drafts.

An MRI has confirmed a torn right ACL for Giants QB Daniel Jones. That will obviously end his 2023 season. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says to expect a nine-month recovery, which would put Jones potentially back on the field during 2024 training camp. His injury did occur about five weeks earlier than Cardinals QB Kyler Murray's 2022 ACL tear. We obviously can't assume the same return timeline for any player based only on a similar injury to another guy. But those timelines should give Jones a better chance of returning at least by sometime in the first half of next season. We'll certainly be watching for updates on his recovery in the meantime -- as well as watching how the Giants address the position in the offseason. Jones' contract still carries a $47 million cap hit for 2024 -- and a $69 million dead-cap number if the team were to move on from him. So you can at least bet on Jones staying central to the 2024 plays. Even beyond that, the dead-cap penalty would be $22.2 million for 2025 vs. a $41.6 million cap hit if Jones remains on the roster. Whether the Giants draft a QB early will likely tell us how much longer they hope to have Jones at the helm. The level of investment into the 2024 backup plan can give us hints on how optimistic they are for Jones' recovery. For this season, QB Tyrod Taylor (ribs) will be on IR for at least three more weeks, and HC Brian Daboll says it's not yet clear whether Taylor will make it back this season. So it could be Tommy Devito the rest of the way, which lowers the floor and ceiling for all Giants offensive players.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport hears that the Giants believe QB Daniel Jones suffered a “significant knee injury -- potentially a torn ACL" in Sunday's loss to the Raiders. He’s scheduled for an MRI to get a better look at the damage. With QB Tyrod Taylor on IR with the rib injury he suffered last week, the Giants will be down to QB Tommy DeVito. He was better vs. Las Vegas than last week, completing 15 of 20 passes for 175 yards, one TD, and two INTs. The Giants also have QB Matt Barkley on the practice squad.