Daniel Jones had a strong year in 2020
Looking back at this past season, I think most people would say that New York Giants’ starting quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t have a great season. Some might go as far to say that he actually regressed and got worse compared to his rookie season in 2019.
Well, Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus has released a list of the most improved players from each NFL team and he has Jones as the Giants’ most improved player in 2020. Here’s what he wrote:
This one may seem like a mistake, given that many of Jones’ passing numbers actually took a step back in his second season, but those passing numbers don’t tell the entire story. Jones’ PFF grade — a number designed to isolate the play of a quarterback from his supporting cast — actually improved from 65.9 as a rookie to 78.4 in 2020.
The biggest reason for that improved grade was that Jones did a better job of keeping the ball out of harm’s way, reducing his number of turnover-worthy plays from 31 in 2019 to 17 this past season on a similar number of dropbacks. He also gave the Giants some added value with his athleticism as a runner. A better offensive environment should lead to better results for Jones next season.
Jones finished the season with 2,943 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions through the air during the14 games that he played.
Jones did turn the ball over a lot earlier in the season, but he really turned the corner in the middle of the year and did a much better job of protecting the football. I don’t put too much stock into his stats given the fact that his offensive line was up and down all season and he doesn’t have a number one receiver. Not to mention, tight end Evan Engram dropped way too many passes.
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Imagine when Jones supporting cast is either back or upgraded. How did Mahomes look at the Superbowl this past Sunday with the line being outplayed and all the drops the Chiefs had. He kind of reminded me of Jones. Brady had all day to throw most of the game. Get Jones better playmakers and keep improving the offensive line. Then we will truely know what Jones is made of.