Kyle Rudolph on Daniel Jones: ‘I was a huge fan of his from afar’

Veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph returned to practice for the Giants Wednesday after spending time on the PUP list.

After undergoing offseason foot surgery, tight end Kyle Rudolph was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and returned to practice for the Giants Wednesday. The organization inked Rudolph to a two-year, $12 million deal this past offseason.

Thus, Daniel Jones now has one of his brand new weapons on the field, a huge development considering he needs to take a significant on-field leap and prove he can be the face of this franchise.

It’s unclear whether the third-year signal-caller can accomplish that specific mission — his play up to this point has encompassed its ups and downs.

But regardless of the mixed reviews, Rudolph sees the positive in what his new quarterback can bring to the field.

“It’s been awesome to watch [Daniel],” Rudolph said Wednesday, per the Giants’ official website. “I was a huge fan of his from afar. Obviously, we came up with the Vikings a couple years ago [Week 5 of the 2019 season] and our defensive guys just raved about his talent. Now, getting to know him as a player and as an individual, his leadership ability, guys gravitate towards him, and that goes a long way, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Continuity is huge and we all rally behind Daniel.”

While Kyle isn’t expected to be the top tight end on a roster that additionally includes Evan Engram, his presence can at least help the Giants overwhelm opposing defenses due to the number of reliable weapons they possess on the field.

And given the current injury-related issues surrounding both Kenny Golladay and first-rounder Kadarius Toney, the Giants (and Jones) will seemingly take all the healthy offensive assistance they can get.

“Good to see him out there,” Jones said Wednesday. “He’s worked so hard to get back and he’s been behind the scenes a lot helping all of us, helping me, helping the tight ends, and it’s been good to have him out there.”

“He’s played a lot of football at a really high level,” the young quarterback added. “He knows the game inside and out. He knows how to make plays. He knows how to get up and catch the ball. I think he’ll make a difference for us and I’m excited to get him out there.”

The obvious goal is for Rudolph to suit up in New York’s regular-season opener against Denver.

But right now, his potential activation for that Sept. 12 matchup is still unclear. The team will need to monitor his health-related situation in order to eventually make a decision on the matter.