The Choice: Daniel Jones

This is a flip of a coin. For the sake of both quarterbacks, they will both need to take a step forward in 2020 but give me Jones this year.

First, despite this being his first head coaching job, Joe Judge cannot be much worse than Adam Gase. Now that Freddie Kitchen and Pat Shurmur both lost their jobs, Gase is arguably the worst coach in football. And the argument against it is not long.

Yes, there are some bad coaches in the league. Kevin Stefanski is a new face in Cleveland, Matt Patricia is a mess in Detroit, and Zac Taylor just went 2-14 with the. Cincinnati Bengals. Gase could find himself at the bottom of that list. He is supposed to be a quarterback guru and he has done nothing to help Darnold.

Let’s take a look at the supporting casts for each side. Jones has receivers like Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard to throw the ball to. He developed a strong connection with Darius Slayton down the stretch of the 2019 season. Evan Engram is still waiting to take the next step as a tight end. Also, Saquon Barkley is a huge weapon to have in the backfield. He is capable of rushing for 1,200+ yards and catching 80-90 passes.

For Darnold, he does not have much to work with. Jamison Crowder is a strong receiver in the slot when he is healthy. Other than that, Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims will be on the outside. Chris Herndon, like Engram, is trying to take that next step as a tight end. Le’Veon Bell could be a weapon but let’s not forget that Gase was not in favor of signing Bell in the first place. If one had to be picked, the Giants cast is better around Jones. And that includes Barkley over Bell.

Both quarterbacks are considered pocket passers. Darnold does not have the mobility that Jones does. They can both move around in the pocket, but Jones is able to use his legs to make a play. He rushed for 279 yards during his rookie season. In 26 games over the spend of two years, Darnold has a combined 200 rushing yards in his career, thrown 28 interceptions, and fumbled 16 times (losing five). Until he learns to take better care of the ball, he will not turn the Jets into a winner.

The 2020 season will be extremely telling for both New York teams. Both the Jets and Giants need their young quarterbacks to take the next step. When you factor in supporting cast, head coach, and just overall luck of the franchise, it is likely that Daniel Jones takes that step first and has a better 2020 season than Sam Darnold.