New York Giants Off-Season Roster Restock Plan: Quarterback
The Giants have a lot of needs across their roster, and it remains to be seen how the dynamic duo of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll look to address those needs.
We’re going to give it a go with some very early predictions at each position of need where, telling you if we think the Giants would be better off filling a need via the draft, free agency, or both, and why.
In this first installment, we're looking at the quarterback position.
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) looks to throw in the first half. The Giants defeat the Eagles, 13-7, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in East Rutherford.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
If you didn’t get the news, Giants team owner John Mara came right out and said that barring anything unexpected, Daniel Jones will be this team’s starter in 2022.
But as the Giants no doubt have learned from last year, having a solid backup quarterback is a “must,” considering that Jones has missed games every year due to injuries related to the mobility aspect of his game.
Simply put, every time Jones took off as a runner, Giants officials were likely holding their collective breath that he would bounce back up after being tackled and return to the huddle as though nothing had happened.
Of course, such has not been the case, and perhaps no one understands the temporary paralyzing fear that comes with watching a quarterback get hit as a runner more than Schoen and Daboll, who went through that to a degree with Josh Allen in Buffalo.
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Jones creates the same kind of angst for the Giants, if not to a greater degree, thanks to his inability and/or refusal to slide feet first when he takes off as a scrambler.
Every injury Jones has suffered in his NFL career has resulted from him running outside the safety of the pocket, and his sprained neck suffered this year has been the most significant of the growing list of injuries that have also included a hamstring and a sprained ankle.
The expectation is Jones will be good to go by opening day, but the Giants better make sure they have a quality backup quarterback on the roster just in case. The team signed former Bills practice squad player Davis Webb to a reserve/futures contract, and they also poached Jake Fromm from the Bills practice squad last year after it was determined Jones’s neck would keep him out of action.
Webb is intriguing as a potential backup to Jones, though as of this writing, he might be more of a longshot than a lock, despite his knowledge of Daboll's philosophies. The bottom line is that the Giants need to get an experienced and preferably proven backup quarterback on the roster who has a respectable record as a starter and can step in and deliver with minimal drop-off if Jones struggles or is injured again.
If Jones isn't the answer, signing such a player to a multi-year deal gives the Giants someone that can serve as the stop-gap should they decide to go back to the draft in 2023 for their franchise quarterback.
The common belief is that the Giants might make a pitch for Trubisky, but with Webb and Fromm already on the roster, going for Trubisky (29-21 as a starter) might seem like overkill if all the Giants are looking for from the Bills backups is someone to help with teaching whatever concepts Daboll incorporates from the Bills offense into the Giants' offense.
Jan 9, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) rushes with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
A more intriguing option could be Marcus Mariota. Mariota is coming off a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Raiders, including a $1.75 million signing bonus. A No. 2 overall pick in 2015 by the Titans, Mariota has 61 career starts and a 29-32 record. He’s thrown 77 touchdowns to 45 interceptions and posed two seasons (2016 and 2017) with 3,000+ yards.
Mariota would likely not come “cheap” as Mike Glennon did with his one-year, $1.375 million contract. But then again, Glennon's performance last year should be a reminder why cutting corners when it comes to a backup quarterback isn’t necessarily a good thing.
And if they were to go for a multi-year deal, not only would that help in easing the salary cap burden this year, it would also give the Giants an experienced quarterback on their roster who, if they need to move on from Jones after the upcoming season, could help with the transition to a rookie.
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