The New York Giants are on a five-game losing streak, and after losing to the Carolina Panthers in Germany, Coach Brian Daboll is considering benching quarterback Daniel Jones.
This is the first time Daboll has shown doubt about playing Jones this season, and it comes after Jones had an up-and-down performance in a 20-17 overtime loss on Sunday.
If a change is made, either Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito would take over as the starting quarterback for the Giants, who currently have a 2-8 record, the worst in the NFC.
Daboll didn’t confirm on Monday that he would make a change, but he has always quickly stated that Jones was his guy when asked about him earlier this season.
“We’re evaluating our team at the bye week, that’s what we are doing,” Daboll explained when asked why his response was different this time.
Lock has only played in garbage time this season, and DeVito, who led the Giants to a short winning streak last year, has been the third-string quarterback on game days.
With a second straight losing season looking almost certain, Daboll said he and his coaching staff would assess their team’s schemes, situational play, technique, and individual performances during their evaluation.
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, is in the second year of his four-year contract. His best season came in 2022, which was Daboll’s first year as head coach, when the Giants made the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Daboll avoided answering when asked if benching Jones would be a waste of money.
“Again, what we’ll do is we’ll go back, we’ll evaluate the tape and we’ll make the decision that we think is best for our team,” he said.
Jones finished the game against Carolina completing 22 of 37 passes for 190 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in the red zone. Those interceptions were a big reason why the Giants are at the bottom of the NFC standings.
Had the Giants scored a field goal on either of those drives, they might have won the game.
But the interceptions weren’t the only issues. Jones also missed an open Malik Nabers for a first down on a third-and-8 from the Carolina 38 on the Giants’ first drive. He also failed to spot two open receivers on a flea-flicker play near midfield in the second quarter when the Giants were trailing 10-0.
The Giants have a bye week this week, and then they will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 24 at MetLife Stadium, where they are winless in five games.
There are seven games left in the season, and Daboll and his staff will likely need to see improvement from Jones and the team to finish on a better note. Switching to Lock or DeVito doesn’t seem like the solution.
