Giants LB Bobby Okereke Backs QB Daniel Jones

Like it or not, Daniel Jones will be the starting quarterback of the New York Giants this season once he’s given the green light to fully return from his ACL rehab.

As far as Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke is concerned, the Giants offense would be in good hands.

“From Day 1, first guy in, last guy out mentality,” Okereke told Kay Adams on the Up and Adams Show. “A smart guy–went to Duke–and he’s just got poise. He’s got a hell of an arm. 

“Me and him are in the same class, I believe, Year 6. It’s go-time. We all know, we all feel the urgency, and I’m excited for him. His preparation is second to none, and he’s gonna have a great year.”

The pressure is on for Jones, who, save for 2022 when he notched some new career highs and his first winning season as a starting quarterback, continues to face questions about whether the Giants can win with him under center.

One of the biggest questions centers around Jones’s injury history, which includes two neck issues in the last three years in addition to the torn ACL he’s currently recovering from. 

General manager Joe Schoen admitted during his year-end press conference and in clips on Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants that the team needed to protect itself if Jones wasn’t ready to go.

From an Xs and Os perspective, some questions about Jones’s mental processing ability have been raised, particularly post-snap. Cornerback Patrick Peterson was the most recent to raise questions about Jones’s mental processing ability on his podcast, saying that Jones has “shown an inability to read defenses quickly, to get the ball out quickly, and I just think he has a problem dissecting the 11 guys on defense.” 

Peterson added that the former Duke star’s “process is too slow to excel as a great NFL quarterback” despite having the talent and measurables.  

Okereke acknowledged that Jones, who admittedly hasn’t had an easy time with the coaching and system changes, the lack of a consistent offensive line, and other obstacles, has been through the wringer but expressed his admiration for the quarterback’s poise.

“He’s faced a lot of adversity since he’s been here,” Okereke said. “Obviously, scrutiny from the New York fans is crazy; I experienced that this year. And injuries, he’s dealt with a lot. But just to see his mentality, his demeanor; poise is what comes to mind.”

Jones is entering Year 2 of his four-year, $160 million contract, a deal that has drawn much criticism over how the Giants overpaid for a quarterback who had one decent year. 

The deal was structured, though, so that if things don’t work out with Jones and the Giants, the team can exit the deal after this season since all of the guaranteed money will have been paid out.  

The Giants, who flirted with the idea of landing former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye in the draft, pivoted to Plan B after the Patriots denied their attempts to move up in the first round. 

New York upgraded the offensive line depth and brought in receiver Malik Nabers to give Jones a legitimate No. 1 receiver, which he hasn’t had thus far in his career.

However, the Giants let running back Saquon Barkley, their best player when healthy,  leave via free agency and tight end Darren Waller, who despite his short and injury-filled time with the Giants was a solid offensive option, retired.  

The Giants are banking on a running backs committee approach led by Devin Singletary and a revamped tight ends group led by third-year man Daniel Bellinger to step up and provide Jones with the support he needs to run the offense.

Head coach Brian Daboll is also believed to be planning to call plays this year on offense, which could further help Jones get back to being the quarterback he was in 2022.