New York Giants QB Daniel Jones suffered a neck injury in Week 12 which has left him sidelined since. What is his status ahead of a Week 15 matchup against the Cowboys, will he be available for fantasy football managers, and how has he played so far this season?
Will Daniel Jones play this week vs. the Cowboys?
Jones has been confirmed as out for today’s game, and the fear is that his season is over. Head coach Joe Judge confirmed this week that Mike Glennon will start the game, while Jones seeks specialist advice from a spinal expert on his complex injury.
If Jones’ season is in fact over, the Giants only have one more year to make a decision on his fifth-year option, which is fast approaching. Has Jones done enough during his tenure to warrant the Giants paying him for a fifth year, or will Year 4 be his final examination?
Has Jones done enough as the Giants QB to warrant a new contract?
Currently, it’s unlikely. Jones needed to come out this year and put on a show after the franchise invested a lot of money into weapons to go around him. Signing Kenny Golladay to a mega-contract was a statement of their intent to offer support to Jones, as was spending a first-round draft pick on Florida receiver Kadarius Toney.
Of course, the offensive line still has its issues. But other QBs around the NFL are doing more with similar (or worse) situations on the line. Offensive coordinator and former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was fired earlier this season because of the Giants’ poor outputs week in and week out on offense. However, it feels as if they’re running out of scapegoats before Jones gets any of the blame.
As he now turns his attention towards his fourth year, Jones will need to execute at a far greater standard to earn that all-important second deal — at least, if he wants to get paid as a starter.
Jones threw 24 touchdowns as a rookie, but that is still his best season. The total fell to just 11 in Year 2, and he has 10 so far this season. Jones has also been criticized for taking too many hits and putting himself in situations that result in him getting hurt, or taking major hits that could be avoided, which then mean he misses important game time.
Who do the Giants turn to with him out?
Glennon has started the last two games for the Giants and will start again today. He’s played okay, but nothing spectacular. Glennon’s level of performance is one you would expect from a journeyman who serves a purpose as a solid backup QB, having been around the league now since being drafted in 2013.
However, there are murmurs that the Giants would like to see what they have in now second-year QB Jake Fromm. The Georgia alum was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round in 2020 after falling a lot further than many thought he might.
Fromm had a very successful tenure with the Georgia Bulldogs, and upon entering the draft was touted as a Day 2 QB at worst. So his fall to Round 5 came as a surprise.
The Giants signed Fromm from the Bills practice squad on December 1. He’s now been working out in the Giants’ system for almost three weeks, and it would make sense to give him some snaps in order to see what he’s capable of. The young QB is yet to have a real opportunity in the league.