Daniel Jones will see his first NFL action as a starter in preseason Week 4 as the New York Giants give Eli Manning the night off.
It should come as no surprise, but the New York Giants are giving Eli Manning Week 4 of the preseason off. Sitting the starting quarterback is standard operating procedure in the NFL.
Moreover, it will afford Daniel Jones his first opportunity as a starter, even if it’s just a measly preseason contest.
Coach Shurmur announces Daniel Jones will start against the Patriots on Thursday. Eli Manning will not play. pic.twitter.com/K9ZEnT86YB
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 25, 2019
Jones is silencing some of his early critics with an excellent preseason showing. In three games, he’s 25-of-30 on pass attempts for 369 yards and two touchdowns.
He has yet to throw an interception, but he did lose two fumbles in a preseason Week 2 victory against the Chicago Bears. All in all, Jones looks like the eventual heir apparent to Manning for the Giants.
Despite the fact that Jones has been stellar in the preseason, there’s no quarterback controversy in New York. Head coach Pat Shurmur has been firm about sticking with Manning in 2019.
If the Giants stumble out of the gates and fall out of the playoff picture, perhaps Shurmur’s calculus changes. It’s hard to see the Giants sticking with Manning after this season.
Making a midseason switch to Jones would parallel the start of Manning’s career. The Ole Miss product took over from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner as the full-time starter in Week 10 of Manning’s rookie season.
The Giants finish out their preseason slate of games on Thursday against the New England Patriots. Although there won’t be many first-teamers appearing for either team, the game will be a golden opportunity for Jones to get some much-needed reps.
