In every of the final three seasons, a quarterback who was extremely drafted however didn’t initially fulfill began to flourish in a brand new location with the correct offense and training employees.
In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks determined 2013 second-round New York Jets decide Geno Smith would substitute Russell Wilson as their franchise quarterback after Smith had been a washout with the Jets, the New York Giants, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Smith has been a plus-level starter within the Emerald Metropolis ever since.
Baker Mayfield was chosen by the Cleveland Browns with the primary total decide in 2018, fell out of favor with head coach Kevin Stefanski, and was jettisoned in favor of Deshaun Watson, who joined the crew in what will be the worst deal in NFL historical past. Mayfield had a pleasant cup of espresso with the Los Angeles Rams, after which signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. Below offensive coordinators Dave Canales (who was instrumental in Smith’s skilled rehabilitation, and is doing the identical for 2023 first total decide Bryce Younger in Carolina) and now Liam Coen, Mayfield has come to outline the Bucs franchise as a lot as any present participant.
Sam Darnold, one other Jets failure early in his profession, was chosen by Gang Inexperienced No 3 total in 2018 – two picks after Mayfield. Issues by no means labored out for Darnold there, and he was catapulted out of the constructing through a commerce to the Carolina Panthers after three seasons. After two respectable years with the Panthers, and a 2023 stint with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup, Darnold discovered the proper place in Minnesota, the place Vikings head coach and offensive shot-caller Kevin O’Connell has made essentially the most of Darnold’s attributes whereas masking his deficiencies.
Might Jones be a part of an identical the feelgood story in 2025? A number of experiences have him signing with the Vikings with a spot on Minnesota’s observe squad, so maybe he can journey on the O’Connell Rehabilitation Program as Darnold has.
The Giants just lately launched the 2019 sixth-overall decide after a profession of (largely) subpar play. Jones has by no means appeared like The Man. However, to be honest, he’s additionally had three head coaches, 4 offensive coordinators, and a number of offensive methods to take care of.
On Monday, O’Connell was requested about his crew’s potential curiosity in Jones.
“I’m not going to actually get into that right this moment, however I’ll say I’ve tons of respect for Daniel Jones as a participant and an individual,” O’Connell mentioned. “ I bought to know him by the draft course of years in the past, and I’m positive now that he’s a free agent, there’s most likely a ton of league-wide curiosity in him. Daniel’s going to make the choice that’s greatest for him in his profession transferring ahead, and I’m positive he’s working by that course of proper now. I actually can’t get into an excessive amount of short-term or long-term. I can simply say I’ve been a fan of Daniel’s for a very long time, and hope wherever his subsequent cease takes him, it’s alternative for him.”
Nicely, now that’s not less than in play.
Smith, Mayfield and Darnold have been capable of reframe their careers after touchdown with groups who constructed the correct offenses round them. How can Jones’s second NFL crew – whether or not it’s the Vikings or one other crew from an energetic roster perspective – accomplish an identical turnaround, almost definitely with the 27-year-old as a backup behind a real star quarterback, not less than to begin?
Make the RPO a staple idea
Jones isn’t one of the best field-reader within the NFL, and there are occasions when he waits too lengthy to throw. However he’s cell, and he can win as a runner. He has 2,179 speeding yards and 15 speeding touchdowns in his profession. So the run-pass choice needs to be an enormous a part of his subsequent offense. This idea provides the quarterback the choice to throw, hand off to a working again, or run the ball himself primarily based on how the protection assaults. It additionally tends to restrict the quarterback’s have to learn your complete area, as most RPO passes are of the quick-game selection.
This season, Jones has been comparatively environment friendly as a passer and as a runner in RPO performs. He’s accomplished eight of 13 passes for 52 yards, whereas as an RPO runner, he’s gained 42 yards on six carries. With the Vikings this season, Darnold has accomplished 5 of six RPO passes for 22 yards, and O’Connell tends to want handoffs to working backs versus quarterback runs, so it’s not a staple of O’Connell’s offense. However it may very well be, in a pinch.
And as Darnold has, Jones ought to ostensibly profit from a receiver with the expertise of Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, maybe the NFL’s greatest at his place. O’Connell’s excellent offensive designs, which lean closely in direction of scheming receivers open, isn’t one thing that Jones has had earlier than.
Make Jones a sport supervisor
The time period “sport supervisor” is usually thought of pejorative, because it signifies a quarterback whose bodily items are unspectacular, and subsequently should be protected by teaching and the expertise round him. However each quarterback is a sport supervisor to a sure extent, and even the all-time greats are coveted for his or her total consistency as a lot as their flashes of brilliance.
What does this imply for Jones? In his case, his subsequent teaching employees will need to set up a constant rhythm for him within the passing sport, and meaning eschewing the deep ball in favor of brief and intermediate passes. This not solely regulates Jones’ inconsistencies, it additionally removes the beforehand talked about field-reading points when performs take longer to develop, and Jones begins to get out of his depth.
Jones’s passing splits this season inform the story:
Passes below 10 air yards: 172 completions in 247 makes an attempt for 1,241 yards, 4 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a passer score of 79.7.
Passes of 10-19 air yards: 38 completions in 65 makes an attempt for 613 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer score of 87.5.
Passes of 20+ air yards: Six completions in 29 makes an attempt for 216 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer score of 66.7.
Intermediate passes are what Jones’s subsequent crew ought to lead with, whereas giving him simple reads in crimson zone conditions, which can complicate the short-pass numbers for any quarterback who isn’t conversant with changing in these compressed conditions. This season, Darnold has tried the NFL’s fourth-most makes an attempt of 10-19 yards (86), finishing the fifth-most with 50, for 426 yards, 4 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer score of 81.8.
Assist Jones to change into a “Messenger of Confidence”
Former Giants normal supervisor Dave Gettleman took Jones at No 6 after Jones had an important week of observe on the 2019 Senior Bowl, and was named the sport’s Most Precious Participant. One of many causes Gettleman is the Giants’ former GM is that he positioned extra significance on one All-Star week over the three seasons at Duke wherein Jones put up tape that was way more of the second- or third-round selection.
That put Jones firmly within the realm of the overdrafted. And whereas the cash’s rather a lot higher in that neighborhood, it additionally tends to create an unlucky dichotomy between what is predicted and what can truly be achieved. Not everyone seems to be Tom Brady, who was chosen with the 199th total decide, and needed to make everybody on the earth pay dearly for that oversight.
In Jones’s last press convention as a Giants participant, he learn an announcement wherein he apologized for his total efficiency and thanked the crew. Jones was rightly praised for dealing with the scenario professionally, however that’s a troublesome method to finish one’s time with a franchise. And Jones’s self-confidence, one thing that’s essential for a quarterback, could also be affected in consequence. It’s not simply self-confidence that’s essential for a quarterback both – his teammates should imagine in his skills too.
For instance, Younger is popping issues round with the Panthers this season after a horrid rookie marketing campaign in 2023, partly as a result of his teammates now imagine in him. After Younger had his greatest sport to this point final Sunday in a 30-27 loss to the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Chiefs, veteran receiver Adam Thielen mentioned of Younger that he had change into “The messenger of our confidence and who we may be. We love that man, and [we] admire his type of mindset this 12 months.”
Maybe Kevin O’Connell could make that occur for Jones. He’s already executed so for Darnold, who may definitely inform Jones a factor or two concerning the path he’s presently on – the identical one Darnold has subsequently transcended.
Getting the correct match was a very powerful a part of that journey for Daniel Jones. And it could seem that it’s occurred.
