‘Completely destroyed’ Daniel Jones looks like shell of QB I played with: former Giants teammate

Kyle Rudolph doesn’t recognize the Daniel Jones playing quarterback for the Giants after being impressed with him during their lone season as teammates in 2021.

“The Daniel Jones that I saw on Sunday in that game is not the Daniel Jones that I watched take them to the divisional round of the playoffs,” Rudolph said on “Up & Adams” on Thursday. “It’s not the guy I played with when I was there for a year. His confidence looks completely destroyed. How can you blame him? Every time he goes out there, he’s fighting for his life.”

Rudolph noted that he thinks highly of Jones from their time together in East Rutherford, but he joined the growing chorus of those criticizing Jones’ horrendous performance from Week 1 against the Vikings.

Jones went 22-for-42 with 186 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, including a pick-six, in the 28-6 loss to the Vikings.

Boos rained down on Jones, both during and after the game, and even Vikings players felt bad for the $160 million quarterback.

His horrendous showing raises questions about the Giants’ ceiling and floor this season, which figures to be a pivotal one for Jones, general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll.

“He’s got to get his confidence back,” said Rudolph, who played for the Vikings from 2011-20. “I don’t know how they get it back, but that guy I watched on Sunday playing against my other former team … that wasn’t the guy that I know and that I know he has the ability to be.

“So, looking forward, hopefully he can kind of find that magic, find that confidence that was the guy I was around, the guy I played with because the ability is there. He’s super talented, incredibly gifted.”

While Jones did not play well, Rudolph indicated that the Giants’ front office deserves some blame for taking away one of Jones’ top playmakers in Saquon Barkley.

Barkley tallied three touchdowns in his Eagles debut Friday night, while Jones and the Giants failed to find the end zone.

Big Blue will try to bounce back on the road in Week 2 against the Commanders, a team that usually brings out the best in the embattled quarterback.

“I’ve said this multiple times when I talk about DJ. Can we possibly protect him?” Rudolph said. “They did the other part, they got him a playmaker, they went out and got Malik Nabers in the draft this year, but you let Saquon Barkley go. We saw what Saquon did on Friday night in Brazil, it’s an explosive, dynamic playmaker that I’m sure DJ would have loved to have next to him.”