Daniel Jones' Rookie Season Comes to a (Temporary) Halt

Daniel Jones may or may not be finished for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, but if he has played his final game of the season, he at least has an idea on what he needs to build on.

Daniel Jones is no stranger to dealing with injuries, having dealt with a broken collarbone in college in his final season and, before that, a high ankle sprain in high school.

But his latest injury, a high ankle sprain suffered in last week's loss to the Green Bay Packers, is one that is likely going to keep him out of Monday night's game at Philadelphia, if not longer

"I think right now I’m going to take it day by day and see how it feels and do the best I can to heal as quickly as I can," Jones said, adding that he liked his chances of returning before the end of the season where, if he does, he'll be reinserted as the starter.  

It's a tough break for Jones, who has been up and down in his rookie season. When he's on point with his passes, they're a thing of beauty to watch as has the kid's toughness and ability to extend plays with his legs. 

But at the other end of the spectrum are the turnovers and the poor reads that have led to 11 interceptions, three of which he threw last week (a number that might have been higher had Packers defenders held onto the ball).

 "I think he made tremendous progress," head coach Pat Shurmur said of Jones. "He has a very, very bright future."

“He has been doing a good job for us,” added receiver Sterling Shepard. “He’s been getting a role and that’s what this thing is--a learning experience. He’s getting better and better every week, so it’s tough to see him have to take this little break. You have to move on; it’s the next man up mentality, that’s what we have this week.”

 Shurmur also added that when Jones is cleared to return, he'll go back to being the starter where he'll continue learning on the job.

"There are certainly things and areas that he needs to improve. But he displayed an ability to stand in there tough, make good throws, he got us in the end zone. Unfortunately, as we move along, and I think that’s part of his development, some of the mistakes he made, he’ll clean up as time goes on." 

In the meantime, for however long he's out, Jones will go back to doing what he had been doing for the first two games of the year, which is watching and learning from Manning. 

"Obviously, you want to be playing, and I feel like the best way to learn is to play, but there is an opportunity in learning, watching, and yeah, I’ll try to do the best I can to do that," he said.