Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski Has High Praise Giants QB Daniel Jones

At 0-2 on the season, not a lot has gone right for the the New York Giants through the first two weeks of the season. That doesn’t mean the Cleveland Browns are taking them lightly though as they prepare for a Week 3, home matchup with the NFC East foe.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski heaped plenty of praise on the winless Giants to start the week of practice.

“That 0-2 is very misleading to me,” the Cleveland head man said on Wednesday. “They lost at home in Week 1, which obviously we lost at home in Week 1, and then they go on the road and they play good enough to win. Had some extenuating circumstances with the kicker. We know the team that we’re facing. Have a ton of respect for coach [Brian] Daboll, his entire coaching staff. So we gotta play our best football.”

The extenuating circumstance Stefanski eluded to was a hamstring injury, suffered by starting kicker Graham Gano on the opening kickoff of their 21-18 loss to the Commanders. The injury forced Daboll to resort to going for two after each of their three touchdowns in the game and thus, a three point loss. That may have ultimately been the difference between them winning and losing the game.

Meanwhile, Stefanski didn’t stop with his tour de praise, as he also offered up a glowing review of Giants QB Daniel Jones as well.

“Can hurt you in a bunch of different areas,” said Stefanski. “Can make all the throws from the pocket, but he is a very very dangerous runner. We’ve all seen it over the course of time that he is a threat with the ball in his hands, and they’re utilizing him. Utilized him in this last game. It’s a big part of what he does, but he can also make every throw.”

Jones remains at the center of one of the more controversial quarterback debates in the NFL right now, particularly after being handed a four-year, $160 million deal in 2023. His season got off to a rough start in Week 1, as he completed just 52% of his passes for 186 yards and threw two interceptions in a 28-6 loss to the Vikings. One of those interceptions was a pick six.

The Duke product has thrown 42 interceptions since entering the league in 2019. Those two picks in Week 1 are his only two so far this season. Jones bounced back with a two touchdown performance against Washington this past weekend.

Still, questions remain about whether or not Jones is the true franchise QB of the Giants. While New York will look for answers in the weeks ahead, Stefanski and the Browns clearly aren’t overlooking the dual threat signal caller as they get ready to square off in Week 3.