The Daniel Jones era with the New York Giants will begin in earnest in 2020.
No longer is the presence of two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning on the sidelines creating distractions as it did in 2019. The Giants are now in Jones’ hands, and the fate of the franchise rests on how he develops in his second season in the National Football League.
Jones showed flashes of the potential that made him the sixth-overall draft pick in 2019. In his first start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, it was his seven-yard touchdown run with 1:21 that sealed a Giants victory. Jones finished the game with two rushing touchdowns, something Manning never did in 234 starts.
But there were also moments that reminded the Giants that Jones was still a rookie learning to play the position in the NFL. He threw 12 interceptions and fumbled the ball 10 times. The Giants won only one of his final 11 starts, stumbling to a 4-12 record.
Head coach Pat Shurmur was fired and replaced by Joe Judge. Judge has spent the last eight seasons on the sidelines for the New England Patriots watching Tom Brady and Bill Belichick fashion an NFL dynasty.
He’ll try to replicate that success with Jones. But first there are areas of the game Jones has to improve on. He can be a franchise quarterback, but only if he works on these four things in the 2020 season.
