New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen laid things out plainly during “Hard Knocks” when he said the team isn’t paying quarterback Daniel Jones $40 million per year to hand the ball off to a $12 million running back. The obvious subtext is the Giants gave Jones that contract to air it out, and all indications are that’s the plan this season.
Coach Brian Daboll said the game plan for Jones’ preseason debut last Saturday against the Houston Texans was to “throw a bunch of deep balls.”
“Try to push the ball down the field, which has been a point of emphasis,” Daboll said.
The results were mixed, but the aggressive attack was executed. Four of Jones’ 18 attempts (22.2 percent) traveled at least 20 yards in the air. Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis led the NFL with 22.4 percent of his attempts traveling at least 20 air yards last season. Former Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields was a distant second at 14.6 percent.
Jones had just 11 passes travel 20 yards in the air on his 160 attempts last season. That 6.9 percent rate would have been the lowest in the league if he had enough attempts to qualify.
The reluctance to throw deep last season wasn’t an aberration. Since ranking 20th (11.8 percent) in passes 20-plus yards in the air as a rookie in 2019, Jones’ aggression has been in a steady decline: 28th in 2020 (8.9 percent, 30th in 2021 (7.5 percent) and 32nd in 2022 (5.9 percent).
The lack of deep throws can’t all be attributed to the supporting cast, either. Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw passes of 20-plus air yards on 15 percent of his attempts after replacing an injured Jones last season.
The Giants operated with training wheels during the 2022 season, with a conservative offense leaning heavily on running back Saquon Barkley. With Schoen opting not to pay Barkley $12 million per year this offseason, the offense must transition to a downfield passing attack.
Schoen strived to provide the ingredients for a deep passing attack entering a season that will decide Jones’ future. The offensive line has been fortified with veteran acquisitions, and the wide receiver corps features three players drafted in the first three rounds of the past three drafts, including this year’s first-rounder, Malik Nabers.
With Barkley removed as a crutch, Jones will need to justify his salary by amplifying the talents of Nabers, Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson.
“The one thing I take comfort in, and I know there will be continued development in, is his ability to push the ball down the field, being more aggressive and taking those deep shots,” assistant general manager Brandon Brown said. “I think this is the first time in his career that Daniel has had four receivers who could line up on a 4x100m track team and are creating natural separation.”
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GO FURTHER
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