Giants Country

Chatter Continues to Grow Regarding Giants' Starting Quarterback Role

A growing number of analysts believe Drew Lock and Daniel Jones will compete for the QB1 position this summer.

Andrew Parsaud

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Giants' offseason program is well underway, with training camp around the corner. And after coming up short in their attempt to trade up for a new quarterback in last month's draft, the Giants quarterback situation remains one of the hot topics of the spring.  

Daniel Jones, who was given a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason, had everything go wrong in 2023. , two touchdowns, and six interceptions before his season was cut short due to an ACL tear in Week 9. He also missed the three previous games because of a neck injury suffered in Week 5 against the Dolphins.

The other quarterbacks currently on the roster are Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito. DeVito had a short stint of fame when he led the Giants to a three-game winning streak from Weeks 11-13. 

In nine games, DeVito, an undrafted rookie, threw for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Overall, he wasn't terrible, as head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka got the most out of him. But he also has a lot more room to grow as an NFL-level signal caller.

Lock signed a one-year, $5 million deal in March to be Jones's backup.

At least, that's what was originally thought. Recently, there's been increasing chatter about Lock potentially pushing for the starting job, with NFL.com draft analyst  that Lock "has a really good shot" to beat out Daniel Jones as the No. 1 quarterback on the Giants' depth chart.

"They were comparing Daniel Jones and Drew Lock, with an emphasis on Drew Lock, to the QBs that were going to be there (at 6), and the line for them was Drake Maye," Jeremiah said.

Lock, a former first-round draft pick by the Denver Broncos, spent last season with the Seahawks, throwing for 543 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in four games. He was the backup to Geno Smith and had a notable comeback win against the Eagles in Week 15 last season. 

Lock has struggled to find his footing as a starting quarterback in the league, but with Jones recovering from a torn ACL, it wouldn't be surprising if, regardless of whether Jones is medically cleared in time for training camp, Lock gets another chance at a starting quarterback role.

Already it's expected he'll get first-team reps in the spring while Jones finishes the advanced stages of his rehab. And it wouldn't be surprising if Lock ended up taking a nice chunk of the preseason snaps, as Jones probably won't play in those games. 

From the Giants' perspective, the goal is to get Lock as up to speed on the offense as possible, just in case Jones isn't ready. One way to do that is to get him as many reps as possible.

And if Lock should look good with the reps he gets? That could create a dilemma for the Giants brass, who have said that "the expectation" is for Jones to start once healthy, a statement that has left them some wiggle room.

SI.com's Albert Breer agreed this could be the Giants' scenario, noting that while he doubts Lock will supplant Jones as the starter (assuming Jones is healthy), he wouldn't rule it out. 

In the meantime, this promises to be a storyline all spring for the Giants in the upcoming OTAs and minicamps. Head coach Brian Daboll has echoed Schoen's statement about Jones being the starter once healthy.

Still, indirectly, there will be a competition by virtue of the fact that after a year and a half, Daboll and the coaches know what they have in Jones in this current system, whereas they're about to find out if Lock can run things more effectively. 

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Andrew Parsaud

ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams.