Daniel Jones full go for Giants after tough offseason

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- After a long offseason where Daniel Jones had to rehab a torn ACL and the New York Giants sat him down and told him they were going to look at quarterbacks in the draft, the veteran starter was back on the field Wednesday, fully cleared, for Day 1 of training camp. He got off to a slow start but, more importantly, looked healthy.

Jones said he "felt good" practicing eight months after surgery and didn't think about his right knee while doing 11-on-11 drills for the first time since the injury. While he rehabbed this spring, he was kept out of those drills.

The Giants didn't hold back on the first day of training camp this summer.

"He's getting all the reps today," coach Brian Daboll said before the first practice. "He'll get them with the [first-team offense] every day. If we need to pull him back for whatever reason, maintenance, we'll talk about that after every practice.

"As of now, he'll be in there every snap that the [first-team offense is] in."

Jones' future looked murky this offseason. The Giants looked thoroughly at quarterbacks throughout the draft process. On the latest episode of "Hard Knocks," it was shown that general manager Joe Schoen made an attempt on draft day to trade up with the New England Patriots for North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

While not exactly ideal, Schoen sat down with Jones earlier in the offseason to explain the team's intentions. Jones wasn't exactly thrilled, but he handled it professionally.

"Obviously you're not excited about it," he said. "But they have a job to do, I have a job to do. So it is what it is. We're at this point now. So grateful for the opportunity that I have. Excited to play football. That is my focus now. But yeah, that is not a fun conversation."

During this first practice, Jones went 7-of-13 passing after overthrowing some balls early. There was one swing pass that went over running back Devin Singletary's head for a lateral on the second series.

Jones, who conceded there were a couple plays he would want back, scrambled outside the pocket on several occasions and even fired a dart to wide receiver Darius Slayton while running to his right. It was a positive first step in his full-time return to the field.

"I felt good doing that," he said. "That's all stuff at this point I practiced a lot, repped a lot in drills. Been a big part of my rehab. So felt good doing all that stuff."

The Giants have made it clear that this is a massive year for Jones and the future of their organization. They can get out of Jones' contract relatively pain-free after this season.

Jones and the Giants (6-11) struggled last season, even before his injuries. Jones finished with two touchdown passes and six interceptions in six starts. He was sacked 30 times in those six games.

"Within the context of that situation in the way the contract is structured and the way last year went, I think that is a fair assessment that we need better in 2024," Schoen said.

The Giants are doing what they believe is best for the future of the organization, even if the collateral damage was some hurt feelings. That seems to come with the territory.

In the end, they are in the business of winning games.

"Of all the guys on the team, [Jones] probably does the best job of tuning out the noise," Schoen said.

The Giants signed Drew Lock to be Jones' backup this season. They also still have Tommy DeVito on the roster. Lock worked with the first-team offense in the spring, but he now drops to the second team with Jones a full-go for the summer. He may get a first-team rep or two, but it will be Jones' show.

It's not a surprise to Jones that he's back on the field eight months after surgery. This was always the plan, to be ready for the start of training camp. He just gets to do it now with a reshaped offensive line and a potential No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers, who the Giants selected sixth overall in the draft.

The offensive line, however, remains a question mark. Young tackle Evan Neal is on the physically unable to perform list after ankle surgery and offseason addition Jermaine Eluemunor walked off gingerly during Wednesday's first practice.

It hasn't affected Jones' opinion of what he envisions from the team this season. He has optimism heading into Year 6.

"I'm confident in this group," he said. "I'm confident where we can be. We added some good pieces and we'll be a good football team. I think playing this position, playing in the NFL, there is always expectations. We have high expectations of ourselves and we expect a lot from our offense, our team."