NFL
By: Edwin Duodu
Many thought the New York Giants were making the wrong decision by drafting Saquon Barkley over Sam Darnold in the 2018 draft. Years later, Darnold is now with a new team, and Barkley has suffered many injuries throughout his career. Enter Daniel Jones. The Giants seemed to have gotten their guy. They used the No. 6 overall pick to take him in the first round of the 2019 draft. Unfortunately, his first two seasons have been inconsistent at best. New York hasn’t done an adequate job of building a successful team around Jones to his credit.
His offensive line ranked in the bottom half since he’s been in the league. His receiving cast has been in and out of the lineup at times. Saquon Barkley is one of the best running backs when healthy, but he only played two games in 2020 and is coming off a significant injury. We can’t forget the setback that was dealt with teams because of COVID-19 this past season. Amidst all of this, Jones was still able to put up decent numbers in his rookie season. In 13 games, he threw 24 touchdown passes and threw for over 3,000 yards.
As mentioned before, Daniel Jones has had his fair share of questionable mistakes, turning the ball over 39 times over the last two seasons. He was also prone to holding onto the ball too many times, which resulted in him being sacked a whopping 83 times throughout his short career.
This offseason, the Giants made it their sole plan to right their wrongs and give their franchise quarterback a chance. They have bolstered their receiving corps by signing Kenny Golladay to a four-year, $72 million contract. Although he played five games this past season, Golladay has more than shown that he can take the lead role of the team’s best receiver.
Add in the addition of first-round draft pick Kadarius Toney, who should stretch the middle of the field, and Kyle Rudolph, who should add tight end competition with Evan Engram. Also, Darius Slayton has already shown promise as a young receiver and should give the team a dangerous attack on offense. The main question marks revolve around the offensive line depth and Saquon Barkley.
Aside from the signing of Zach Fulton, the line depth still looks shaky and may not have had any real improvements this offseason. This area is essential, being that opposing pass rushers have sacked Daniel Jones quite often so far. Will he also have the services of Saquon Barkley for most of the season? One of the biggest help of a young quarterback is a consistent running game. If Barkley and the rest of the skill cast stay healthy this season, Daniel Jones has no excuse.
This year, he’ll have the best receiving corps since he was drafted, along with the return of his Pro Bowl running back. Yes, the offensive line is still an issue, but with Jason Garrett returning as the offensive coordinator, Jones should benefit from year two in the system.
His decision-making should be faster, along with the development of his confidence in his third season. We can’t forget how easier it’ll be to stay in games with a top-ten defense that has improved this offseason immensely. This team may be good enough to compete for the NFC East division once again or sneak into a Wild Card playoff spot. Their entire success depends on if Daniel Jones can deliver. If he does, the Giants will be in the playoffs, one way or another. If not, calls for Mike Glennon or Colt McCoy will soon arise from the Giant fanbase, and the team will push the restart button at the position.
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