Daniel Jones, 9 months after knee injury, handles ‘higher intensity’ practice

Jones threw several pinpoint passes, notably to first-round draft choice Malik Nabers, and demonstrated his knee is strong by running when necessary, as he has all camp. He also showed his feisty side by engaging in one of the numerous skirmishes that broke out during the practice. When Giants center Greg Van Roten tangled with a Detroit defensive lineman, Jones was the first one to hit the Lions player. The coaches intervened to quickly end his involvement.

“Oh, Lord, Daniel got jiggy with it,” said linebacker Brian Burns, who was on the adjacent field with the rest of the defense. “Daniel was out there with it? Yeah. I’m going to need him to back up. Let his O-Line handle that. But Daniel, he’s a competitor, man. He’s a fighter. I don’t expect anything less from him. But I don’t need him in that. I don’t need him to get hit. Keep him healthy.”

Jones said he acted no differently than any of his teammates would have.

“A situation happens like that, you try to stand up for your guys,” he said. “I thought it was a good, competitive practice all day today and we made some plays and did some good things. There are some things we need to sure up, for sure, but good intensity and competitive spirit today.”

The bright red jersey Jones wears in practice signifies he is not supposed to engage in any contact, particularly if he initiates it. But he said the jersey doesn’t preclude him from doing so.

“I don’t think it should,” he said. “He’s my teammate, and just like he would stick up for me, I’m going to stick up for him.”

The repair of a torn knee ligament comes with no guarantees, but Jones never doubted he would be in this position 274 days after getting hurt. He has taken every first-team rep in practice since camp began two weeks ago.

“This was always kind of the goal and expectation for me,” he said. “And certainly, put a lot of work into it, but I’ve had a lot of help, a lot of people along the way who told me what to do and I’ve just done as well as I can. Lucky to be here, but it was always kind of the plan.”

He was pleased today with his pre- and post-snap recognition, decision-making, and throwing.

“I think I’ve made good progress,” Jones said. “I feel like (I am) getting back used to the speed of the game and playing, seeing it, getting the ball out on time. Obviously, always looking to take the next step and improve, and that’s what I’m focused on now.”

Coach Brian Daboll would not say if Jones will play against the Lions in the opening preseason game Thursday in MetLife Stadium. In the same scenario last year in Detroit, Jones participated in two joint practices with the Lions and sat out the game with most of the starters.

“We’ll go through all that later in the week,” Daboll said.

“I’d like to play,” Jones said. “I think, at the end of the day, that’s the coach’s decision, and I’ll do whatever Dabs thinks.”

Does he need to play after his long layoff?

“I think you try to make practice as game-like as possible and get real game speed reps in practice and make sure you’re ready to go,” he said. “So regardless of what Dabs decides for this coming game, I’ll be ready to go when I get my chance. … I always think it’s valuable to get game reps and to feel that. My knee feels good, and I feel ready to go. I’ve tested it and done everything that I need to do to make sure it’s ready to go. So, I feel good about my knee.”

Responding to a question last week from Ty Dunne for “Go Long” on Substack, Jones said “absolutely” when asked if he is one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. The answer was unlike those usually offered by Jones, who is virtually never boastful or eager to call attention to himself.

“I think the question had mostly to do with confidence and how I see my ability to play at this level,” Jones said. “I’m very, very confident and know I can play at a high level here. I understand I need to do that consistently, and we all do if we want to go where we want to go as an offense, as a team. I’m confident in myself. I know I can play at a high level, and I think we’ve got a team and guys who are all confident and can play at a high level, also.”

One of them, of course, is Nabers, the sixth selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. If the Giants are to show marked improvement this season, the harmony between Jones and Nabers will be critical.

“I think it’s growing every day,” Daboll said. “Again, Malik’s a rookie. Daniel’s coming back from his surgery. Those guys work hard in individual routes. Obviously, in team periods, I think each day it’s gotten better and better. There’s a lot of nuances to the passing game. We ask him to do a lot. Maybe it’s a couple of different routes each day to make sure that we’re getting the timing and the rhythm down, and if we need to get it again, we go back to another practice or the practice after that to make sure we’re continuing to build that chemistry.”

“I think he can do everything,” Jones said of Nabers. “His competitive spirit, his drive. I think when the ball’s up in the air, he expects it to be his, and he’s going to go get it. He’s got all the physical ability in the world, and size, strength, speed, quickness, great hands, and he’s got the attitude that he’s going to go get the ball, and it’s going to be his. We’ve got to keep working and keep building our chemistry, but I thought he’s had a good camp.”