NFL preseason training camp is finally here. Half of the 32 teams started prepping for the next season on Wednesday, and New York Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones, quarterback out of Duke, is impressing players, coaches and fans alike.
Eli Manning and Jones will battle for the starting spot. The 38-year-old two-time Super Bowl champion had one of the worst years of his career in 2018, throwing just 21 touchdowns in 16 games and recording 11 interceptions. The Giants will be looking to clearly improve on their 5-11 record from last season, and that may mean changing quarterbacks. Head coach Pat Shurmur hasn’t ruled out starting Jones instead of Manning, as the Giants will have to change things in a rebuilding year for the team.
“I’ve learned quite a bit,” Shurmur said, according to Giants.com. “None of it really surprised us in a negative way. He’s very smart. He’s one of the first guys in, one of the last guys to leave. He gets it from that standpoint. He throws the ball well, moves around well, he executes at a high level out there on the practice field. Training camp is the next step as we prepare for the preseason games and getting him ready to play so that he’s ready to go when it’s his time.”
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The Giants lost Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason, but picked up Golden Tate and Corey Coleman, and hung onto their star receiver last year, Sterling Shepard.
More impressively, Shurmur has said that Jones has “exceeded expectations” since drafting him back in April, according to Bleacher Report.
“We really haven’t seen anything he can’t do in terms of playing quarterback,” Shurmer said, according to ESPN.
For Manning, he has the starting role for now, and has taken the position of being a mentor for Jones in his development for the Giants’ future, as the 38-year-old is entering his 16th season in the NFL.
