Daniel Jones, throwing a pass during the Giants’ training camp practice on Friday, also had an impressive touchdown run (Photo by Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post).
The New York Giants expect Daniel Jones to be ready for the start of training camp and to serve as their starting quarterback this season. The first practice is scheduled for July 24.
Jones’ ACL Recovery Progress
Jones is recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, and the team signed veteran Drew Lock this offseason. Lock has started 25 games in his first five seasons.
Jones’ rehab has gone well. Although he didn’t participate in 11-on-11 drills at Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp, he did individual drills and ran without restrictions. Jones wore only a sleeve on his right knee, which still needs final clearance before he can fully participate in practice.
He is on track with training camp six weeks away.
“He’s really right on point with where he needs to be,” coach Brian Daboll said, before specifying he expects all of the injured players to be ready for the start of training camp.
Jones’ Optimism and Performance
Jones is confident he’ll be ready when the Giants reconvene later this summer. They have one more practice on Wednesday to conclude their offseason workouts.
“I expect to be ready to go the first day of training camp,” Jones said.
He added: “The knee feels good. Really good. Every week I’ve continued to feel better and better and taken steps. I’m doing a lot of the same things I’ve been doing but doing them better and feeling sharper, cleaner with a lot of my cuts. Kind of working on getting that explosiveness back and then taking steps and improving my change of direction and cutting from even where it was before the injury.”
With Jones limited during full-team drills this spring, Lock had an opportunity to impress the Giants. However, he struggled at the first practice open to the media but has improved steadily since.
The Giants’ leadership has been clear that Lock is the backup and Jones will start.
“We’ve talked about that. [Lock] understands his role,” Daboll said before Tuesday’s practice. “I think he’s come a long way. There is a lot to learn playing that position. There is a lot of vocabulary, there’s new plays. One word means something to him in another system. He’s been to a few different places. He has been a true pro. “He has definitely improved since he has gotten here. Good to get two more workdays here with the guys that he might not necessarily get as many reps with once we get to training camp.”
Lock’s Journey and Contract Details
Lock, 27, signed a one-year deal worth $5 million guaranteed this offseason. He spent the past two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks after being drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2019.
His arrival initially created some uncertainty about Jones’ position. Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Lock chose the Giants because they “sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter.”
However, the Giants have been clear that the starting job is Jones’ as long as he’s healthy. Jones said his GPS numbers show he’s back to his old form in terms of explosiveness and speed, and he hopes to surpass those previous benchmarks.
“I don’t have any doubt about it,” Jones said. “I think I can do all that stuff and I’ll be even better in a month.”
Team Bonding Plans
In the meantime, Jones plans for his fellow quarterbacks and receivers to make a trip to North Carolina for some workout and bonding sessions before training camp. These trips have become an annual tradition.
Barring a setback, Jones will be back with the first-team offense on Day 1 of training camp.
This report used information from ESPN.
