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2024 brings a new chapter for Daniel Jones, new pieces, and another season under Brian Daboll's offensive scheme
Malik Nabers (#9), Jalin Hyatt (#13), and Wan'Dale Robinson (#17) celebrate after a touchdown during minicamp practice in June / Photo: Giants.com
Daniel Jones will be ready for training camp
In several interviews and pressers throughout the offseason, Daniel Jones stated he will be ready for the Giants first training camp practice on July 24th. This reassurance comes just under nine months after an ACL tear that brought his 2023 season to an abrupt close. With new weapons to work with, Jones should have plenty of on-field support heading into 2024.
2024 will be the sixth year with Jones as the Giants' starting quarterback, and one which will be make-or-break for the former Duke Blue Devil. There is no turning back, no "go get 'em next year." There is no room for him to face another injury and miss time. He has to go out, play a near-perfect season, and march the Giants back into the playoffs if he wants to stay in New York. That's a lot of pressure for a guy coming off of a severe leg injury in 2023, and trust is almost certainly waning within the Giants locker room.
Episode 1 of Hard Knocks gave us a glimpse into Joe Schoen's thinking on how the situation with Jones should be treated; after letting Saquon walk in free agency, can Jones finally make this offense his own?
An improved arsenal
On the bright side, the Giants have built a reliable wide receiver room for Jones to work with in 2024. As it stands, the wide receiver room consists of Malik Nabers, Jalin Hyatt, Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Allen Robinson, Isaiah Hodgins, Isaiah McKenzie, Myles Boykin, and Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who will come off of a torn ACL to fight for a roster spot during camp.
Devin Singletary will man the backfield, and dynamic rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. from Purdue should get plenty of looks on third down. Daniel Bellinger heads into his third season at tight end and will be TE1, with Darren Waller retiring this past offseason. 2024 Round 4 pick Theo Johnson should also add depth to the tight end room.
To cap it all off, added emphasis was put into rebuilding the offensive line, as the Giants went out and added guys like Jermaine Eleumunor and Jon Runyan, who should both start come Week 1.
All in all, it seems like Daniel Jones has more than enough to work with from the offensive side of the ball this year. For Jones, 2024 will be all about proving he can truly make it work through the air. We know what he can do with his legs, but can he show that he's improved his decision-making, or in running through his progressions pre-snap? At 27 years old, he is in the prime of his career and needs to make something out of this season to build trust with the Giants, or he will be an aging backup somewhere else come 2025.
Starting 11 projection
Remember, this projection is subject to change based on how training camp and the preseason plays out. The biggest question mark, at least for me looking at the offensive starters, will be how the offensive line shakes out. How quick will the Giants pull the plug on Evan Neal if he has another disappointing season at RT? Where does Jermaine Eleumunor fit into the equation?
Here's my take on how that might shape up for them come Week 1 against Minnesota:
Overall, the offense should be much better, at least on paper, if everyone stays healthy throughout the season. The Giants snagged Malik Nabers with the sixth pick in the NFL Draft this past April, and he immediately slots in as WR1. They lost Saquon Barkley in free agency, but replaced him with Devin Singletary, with five seasons under his belt. He rushed for over 800 yards and 16 touchdowns over the last three seasons with Buffalo and Houston.
They also padded the offensive line, adding Runyan and Eluemunor, who should slot right in as starters. They also added depth pieces to the line in Austin Schlottmann, Aaron Stinnie, Matt Nelson, and Jimmy Morrissey who, collectively, have 155 games of NFL experience. The work Joe Schoen put in to add depth to the offensive line is one of the things I'm most excited to see play out during the regular season. Schoen has even said it himself on Hard Knocks that they were, at one point last season, starting multiple practice squad guys on the line. That is a recipe for disaster for any team.
Final thoughts
This is the ultimate prove-it year for Daniel Jones. Management has put in the work this offseason to build around him. They have given him the pieces to perform at what we hope is an elite level, and worthy of the $40 million per season that they gave him prior to 2023. This is the most put together offense - in recent years - that I have seen since Eli Manning was last under center at the end of the 2010s. Since then, it's been an abysmal ride, the offense having averaged just 18.2 PPG over the five seasons Jones has been here. One can say he hasn't been given a fair shot or the pieces to perform at his best, and I agree for the most part, so it will be interesting to see how he performs with what is shaping up to be the best offense he has ever had during his time in the NFL.
Mike Kafka is still the offensive coordinator, but I believe Brian Daboll will have a lot of say in the play-calling this year now that he has a defensive coordinator in place that he believes in. Daboll offenses are known for being complicated, so it will be fun to see how the young/new guys piece it together throughout the season.
A lot will be ironed out in training camp, but for the most part, the offensive pieces are in place. Can the Giants go out and execute to the best of their ability and cut down on the holding penalties that plagued them last year (They had 18, the 7th most in the league)? Will the offense generate more than 280 yards/G (ranked 4th worst last year) or score more than 15.6 PPG (ranked 3rd worst last year)?
Only time will tell.
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