Is Daniel Jones the New York Giants' quarterback of the future?

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is up for an extension this off-season. Is he worth extending?

Daniel Jones was an interesting QB prospect. His physical profile was praised coming out the draft. Also, he was mentored by Duke passing guru Daniel Cutcliffe, who coached both Manning brothers in college.

Jones had an appealing combo. He was a capable thrower to all levels of the field. He was also a 6'5" athlete who ran a 4.72 in the 40-yard dash. Jones, in theory, was supposed to hurt defenses with his polished passing and scramble runs out the pocket. The problem is that the consistency with which he displays these traits has always been in question.

One of Daniel Jones' biggest weaknesses is his passing. It is a multi-layered problem with multiple parties to blame. Jones has had multiple offensive coordinators in his short career. This stunted the development of his passing game. He has never played in the same scheme for an extended amount of time. These weaknesses hold the entire offense back.

The Giants run game centered around Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones himself. They helped move the chains on short yardage plays (below 10 yards). Jones' inability to connect with receivers and the O-Line's inability to hold back the pass rush for routes to develop killed intermediary zone plays (10-20 yards).

Daniel Jones also suffers from a problem plaguing many other dual-threat QBs or QBs who are mobile enough. If the first read option isn't open, they take off for runs rather than scan the field in a Tom Brady-type fashion. It is an injury risk.

The offense can often stall once the Giants' run game has been stopped.Throughout Jones' tenure as a Giant, the O-Line has been a mess when pass blocking. This forces a developing passer to play off-script. Jones is a capable deep pass thrower, but the Giants haven't given him the green light to try such throws. They are fearful of turnovers because the O-Line also can't block long enough to protect Jones on such pocket throws.

Luckily for the Giants, the arrival of former standout Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll should assist Jones, but to what end?

Are the Giants holding Daniel Jones back?

Chicago Bears v New York Giants

Daniel Jones can run and throw at a high level, but the Giants don't make use of him as a focal point of their offense, who is capable of so much. He seems to play like a game manager who can run for yards occasionally. He runs the script, doesn't put the ball in danger and gets the ball to the playmakers' hands.

In this current Giants offense, he isn't given the trust/freedom to be a playmaker.

Bucky Brooks has a been quoted as saying that quarterbacks are "either trucks or trailers," meaning they either pull the offense forward or are carried by it. Daniel Jones can't just be a passenger while playing the game's most important position.

The modern NFL QB has to overcome a paper wall O-Line (e.g. Joe Burrow). The modern QB has to overcome his lack of playmakers, whether that's with a 60-yard throw or run (e.g. Lamar Jackson/Josh Allen).

Daniel Jones doesn't get the passing green light a playmaker should have because he is still liable to throw a surprise pick while trying to make a play off script. Jones lacks playmaker traits and hasn't developed any stand out chemistry with a receiver (e.g. Matthew Stafford - Cooper Kupp).

Conclusion

Chicago Bears v New York Giants

The fourth-year starter has been a divisive figure in the league since being drafted. However, the arrival of offensive guru Brian Daboll this off-season has seen his play improve.

Despite the growth, is Daniel Jones worth an extension? The answer seems to be no.

A salary-cap league like the NFL makes it impossible to pay lucrative deals to the O-Line, the running game, capable receivers and the QB. This keeps competition in the NFL balanced. Franchise QBs taken at the top of the draft like Jones are meant to overcome an organization's faults.

No QB is meant to have everything, but they are expected to produce at a high level regardless.

Daniel Jones hasn't been able to overcome these faults. Does this mean he isn't a capable starter? No, but he isn't a franchise QB. The Giants would be better off finding a QB they trust to make plays in clutch situations rather than continuing to play around the fact they don't trust Jones to make plays in key situations.