NFL
What injury did Daniel Jones suffer last season? Is he recovered for the 2024 season start?
The 27-year-old quarterback, who signed a four-year extension with the Giants in March 2023, ended up making just six appearances for the team last season.
Last year started promisingly enough for Daniel Jones - in March he agreed a new four-year extension with the New York Giants worth $160 million, $92,000,000 guaranteed plus a $36,000,000 signing bonus. But the 2023/4 campaign didn’t get off to the start he would have wanted. The quarterback injured his neck in the fourth quarter of the 31-16 defeat to the Miami Dolphins in Week 5 - an issue which would keep him out for the next three games.
Injury cuts short Daniel Jones’ season
When he returned, for the Week 9 game at the Las Vegas Raiders on 5 November, things took a turn for the worse. In the final play of the of the first quarter. Jones’ right knee buckled as he attempted to break past Maxx Crosby. After briefly having his knee looked at on the sidelines, he decided he could carry on.
But in the first play of the next quarter Jones’ knee gave way completely. He collapsed to the floor clutching his injured leg before hobbling off for an X-ray. It wasn’t until the following day, when he underwent an MRI scan that the full extent of the injury was revealed - a ruptured ACL, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Jones spent the next eight months in rehabilitation, returning to practice in July. He seemed to have made a complete recovery as the Giants gear up for the start of the preseason this week.
“You forget about it [the AC;L injury] sometimes because he looks normal out there. But, for what he’s done eight months, or eight and a half months, and to come back and take every rep. He feels good,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters this week. “He’s been right on track. It’s pretty impressive to me in terms of you have that injury, this is where he’s at, this is what he’s looked like physically. I’m proud of him.”
Will Jones play against the Lions this evening?
It’s unlikely that Jones will feature against the Detroit Lions tonight - the first of three exhibition matches lined up for this month, but he is certain to be given a run-out at some point. Daboll’s team face the Houston Texans on Saturday 17th and New York Jets the following weekend).
The player insists he is ready to return to action. “I’d like to play. But at the end of the day, that’s the coach’s decision, and I’ll do whatever Dabes thinks,” he said this week. “I think you try to make practice as game-like as possible and get real game speed reps in practice and make sure you’re ready to go. So regardless of what Dabes decides for this coming game, I’ll be ready to go when I get my chance.”
Jones is 22-36-1 as a starter with 62 touchdown passes and 40 picks in 60 games (59 starts) since being selected by the Giants with the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 NFL Draft. Last season he finished with two touchdown passes and six interceptions in six appearances