PFF Reveals Where Giants QB Daniel Jones Currently Ranks Among Peers

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is slowly rising up the rankings boards among his peers, but he's still not quite top-10 material, according to Pro Football Focus.

Author:
Hunter De Siver
Publish date:
May 26, 2023 10:30 AM EDT

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New York Giants

Pro Football Focus has released its early quarterback rankings for the 2023 NFL season and has ranked New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones at No. 17.

Sam Monson, who authored the article, justified his reasoning for putting Jones just outside the top half of the league's signal-callers due to the fifth-year pro's inability to put the ball in the perfect spot where only the receiver can catch it without breaking stride (big-time throw rate).

“Jones has now posted a big-time throw rate under 2.0% for two consecutive seasons, the lowest mark in the league,” Monson wrote.

According to the analysis, the one positive Jones has in his corner is his ability to run the football efficiently, which Monson described as "a huge boost to that offense."

If you're looking for a reason to be encouraged, Monson believes Jones should have more success in 2023 given the upgrade in talent around him, such as tight end Darren Waller, rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, and receiver Parris Campbell.

What We Think

While I agree that Jones could be a bit more accurate with his throws, I’d still put him above some of the players ahead of him.

PFF ranks Seahawks’ Geno Smith and Lions’ Jared Goff directly ahead of him at No. 15 and 16. The two of them each earned Pro Bowl honors and have the weapons on their respective teams to shine next season. I’d rank them higher than Jones.

However, I believe he’s in roughly the same tier as PFF’s 11-20.

Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa ranked No. 11 on the list. While he certainly has the weapons to make any quarterback a household name, his injury history is concerning. If he can remain on the field for at least 15 games, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be the primary reasons for being ranked higher than Jones. But ahead of training camp, Tagovailoa is ranked too high.

Ranking No. 12 is Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who won a Super Bowl in just his first year with the team in 2021 after a decade-long stint with the Lions. However, like several other Rams starters, he struggled to stay healthy in 2022.

That point aside, Stafford started showing visible signs of his performance declining last year as the Rams went through the mother of all Super Bowl hangovers. And given that the Rams made very few additions to their offense this offseason, putting him that far ahead of Jones makes little sense.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who ranked 13, underwhelmed during his first season in Cleveland last year. Watson has proven that he has the talent to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and the offseason addition of Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore should only increase his potential for 2023. In this instance, I don't think Jones deserves a higher ranking than Watson.

Derek Carr, who ranked No. 14, hopes for a fresh start with a new team after a tumultuous ending with the Raiders. After a decent 2021 season, Carr went into a slump last season. Landing with the Saints puts him in a position where his new offensive weapons might be good enough for him to get back on track.

Ranked Too Low

If we're going to look at quarterbacks ranked ahead of Jones as being ranked too high, we also need to look at those behind him that probably should have had a higher ranking.

I think two such quarterbacks will have better seasons in 2023: Jsutin Fields of the Bears and Russell Wilson of the Broncos.

In the final weeks of 2022, Fields ranked one spot behind Jones and was as good as any quarterback in the league. The offseason addition of wide receiver D.J. Moore should only make him better.

Wilson, ranked No. 20, had the worst year of his career last season in the mess that was the Broncos 2022 season. Still, there are potentially brighter skies ahead for him and the rest of the Broncos now that Sean Payton, whose offenses have been at the forefront of the league regarding creativity and production, is on board as the team's new head coach.

So Where Should Jones Have Ranked?

When altering the rankings based on my opinions, I have Jones ranked 18th. This slight downgrade only shows how much talent there is in the NFL.

Jones may be slightly below average at his position among the starters. But remember, he led a team that was considered bottom tier in the 2022 preseason to the divisional round of the playoffs.

If that team could surprise, what's to say that a healthy Jones, who has his best offensive skill position players around him, can't do the same?