John Foti asks: I’ve been reading up on the 2025 QB draft class and there doesn’t seem to be any one that really excites the analysts. But I do see guys saying that Daboll “can work with” so and so like he worked with Josh Allen. Well, wasn’t Daboll supposed to “work with “ Daniel Jones?
In 2019, how many times did we hear that DJ had the same college coach as Eli Manning? As if that made DJ a clone of Eli. How many times have we heard someone say that this guy worked with Peyton Manning, or with Aaron Rodgers? Matt Waldman, on one of your podcasts, said that the NFL doesn’t really develop players, just teaches them systems. Do you think that the “Guru” makes the QB or is it the other way around?
Ed says: John, I think it can be both. Most young quarterbacks need the right coach or coaches around them, the right scheme, the right environment to learn and grow. Situation and circumstances matter.
That said, uber-talented players always make their coaches look better.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: There were a number of Daniel Jones questions that I removed from this edition of the mailbag after the news of his release. There was no real point in answering them.]
David Matuozzi asks: Are the Giants are in a good position to draft a QB, or would it be smarter to pursue an established veteran either by trade or through free agency?
My opinion is that we aren’t trying to pass a torch here. We are looking for a QB to come in and help build up our program, and I don’t believe that is a job for a rookie. What do you think?
Ed says: David, as we sit here today the Giants have the No. 4 overall pick. The Athletic projects that they will end up with the third overall pick. Where they actually wind up, nobody knows. That right now is in Tommy DeVito’s hands.
If you are talking about the environment they would be drafting a quarterback into, I have no issue with handing a rookie QB to Brian Daboll.
Philosophically, I always want the rookie quarterback you can mold — if you have the right coaches and players around him to help him grow. You also get the benefit of having that quarterback on a rookie contract for an many as five years with the fifth-year option. You can use that money to build the roster.
Noman Haque asks: I wanted to ask about Theo Johnson. It’s been quite a while since the Giants have had a reliable tight end. For the last seasons, we dealt with unstable play from Evan Engram, and an injury riddled season for Darren Waller, despite a lot of hype around him.
This season, despite Theo playing well over the last weeks, hadn’t been amazing. Daniel Bellinger hasn’t been a factor in the passing game (even though he has blocked well) and Theo hasn’t lit up the stat sheet. Manhertz did have a touchdown.
What do you think we can/should expect from Theo? Is he our answer? Do we draft or sign a tight end in the offseason? I’d love to hear your thoughts on him. In terms of raw athleticism he seems very promising and I’d love to see him become a reliable target for whoever our QB ends up being next year.
Ed says: Noman, I think the Giants have a number of issues bigger than Theo Johnson. The kid is a fourth-round pick being asked to play an every-down role. No, he hasn’t been “amazing.” How many fourth-round picks are?
The kid seems to be getting better. The Giants are force-feeding him, which I wasn’t sure was the right approach, but he seems to be handling it.
I don’t see a need for tight end to be a high-priority item this offseason.
Lonny Stoner asks: It doesn’t matter who you have at QB, WR or RB if the O-Line doesn’t block. This has been the Giants issue since the last ruined years of Eli Manning’s career, no O-Line. Until ownership wakes up and finds a GM and coach who stops drafting the shiny objects (WR, QB, RB) and puts the O-line before everything else they will continue to lose. We had the chance to take the 2nd best lineman available in the draft this year, instead we went and got an awesome skill guy, but how’s that working out? You don’t need HOF QB’s, RB’s or WR’s to win Super Bowls. Parcells (2 SB WINS) and Coughlin (2 SB WINS) showed us the way to win. It starts with the offensive line. Establish a solid run game 1st. That eats up the clock so no matter how good of an offense they are facing if they don’t get the ball they cannot score. An established run game will bring opposing defenses in and open up the passing game. A running team wears out the opposing defense in the 2nd half and we can score more easily. It also keeps our defense rested on the sideline so when they are in they are fresh. So again I ask is it truly Daniel Jones’ fault?
Ed says: Lonny, arguing over what was and what was not Daniel Jones’ fault is now pointless. It’s over. It was, and is, time to move on and try something else. I always thought Jones could have/should have/would have been better had there been better circumstances throughout the early part of his career. But, that’s done. I’m not rehashing it.
As for the offensive line, it’s been much better this year. Joe Schoen signed three veteran starting offensive linemen who have all played well. The line misses Andrew Thomas, obviously, but it’s been much better.
I wish Schoen would have drafted as offensive lineman at some point in the draft to have young talent in the pipeline, and I think he needs to do in the upcoming draft. I think, though, that he did do significant work this past offseason on the line, and it has improved.
Duncan McPherson asks: Given the seemingly inevitable QB change coming next year, there’s been lots of talk about the top two or three quarterbacks in the draft. Schoen and Dabs may not love any of them and the draft board just may not fall that way. Does BBV have some veteran free agent quarterbacks in mind that we should be considering next year?
Ed says: Duncan, we went through some of that earlier this week. I think it’s all in here. I’m not sure how realistic Sam Darnold would be. If you can’t draft a quarterback you want, maybe Justin Fields is an option as a guy who “might” become more than a placeholder. Then again, the veteran free agent market might not be more than rearranging the deck chairs.
Mike Winterode asks: What are your thoughts on the Giants trading for Hendon Hooker? Before his injury he was projected as a late first/early second round pick. He’s fully healed by now and if the Giants are interested, what would it cost them?
Ed says: Mike, it is hard to know what to make of Hooker. He is 26 and hasn’t played a meaningful NFL snap. I get that there would be curiosity, but he isn’t a player I would count on to step in and play a big role next season.
I asked Jeremy Reisman of SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit for his thoughts. Here is what he said:
I don’t think the Lions would have a ton of interest in trading Hendon Hooker. Despite some baseless speculation, the Lions didn’t really ever view him as someone who would beat out Goff for the starting job. They viewed him as a long-term project from the beginning, and they’ve barely been able to scratch the surface of that development with less than a year of on-field work. Detroit also has no safety net at backup quarterback right now, with Jake Fromm as their only other quarterback on the practice squad.
In training camp, he looked very rough around the edges, but did show promising flashes in the preseason. I still think there’s a pretty long developmental route for him, and the Lions probably want to see that through. So I don’t really see them parting ways with him unless a team offers them an unrealistic draft pick (ie: second-round pick or more).
Chris Chianese asks: Ed, Jones gets benched as we all expected, but does not going to Drew Lock have repercussions with future potential free agents by going to Devito? Lock has been the QB2 for the games he was healthy, it wouldn’t be wrong for the fans and Lock to expect to be the guy Daboll turns to if Jones isn’t the starter.
Some think the Giants are passing on Lock and going to DeVito because of the cap implications. That’s disappointing.
I realize the fans aren’t seeing what’s going on in practice, and if that’s the reason DeVito gets to start, it begs the question as to why then is DeVito not QB2.
Ed says: Chris, future free agents don’t care about that kind of stuff. They care about the money they are offered and whether or not they think there will be an opportunity.
We only know what the Giants are telling us, which is that they think Tommy DeVito could give them an emotional spark.
I do believe, though, that if they were truly impressed by what they have seen from Lock since the Spring that they would have given him an opportunity.
I think Greg Cosell has it right. We would have to be in the building to know exactly why the decision was made.
Greg Cosell on Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock:
— Rick B. (@nygfaninclt.bsky.social) 2024-11-22T12:18:36.971Z
Simon Hines asks: How do you feel about Joe Schoen’s media availability and accountability? It doesn’t seem fair to me that he meets the media only once during the season, whereas Daboll is constantly in front of media to be challenged. This stood out particularly the past few weeks as Schoen’s availability was early in the the week, and the decision to bench Daniel Jones came later. This allows Schoen to avoid any awkward questions, instead leaving Daboll out on his own. We’ve seen this back fire in the past, for example with Joe Judge imploding. Should GMs be more visible?
Ed says: Simon, yes I wish Schoen was available more often. He is not, though, any different than the vast majority of general managers around the NFL. They are not required by the league to be available in the way coaches and players are. I do wish GMs were available more often to explain major decisions, but I am not going to single out Schoen. He isn’t acting any differently than most of his peers.
Steven Schlein asks: Ed, I saw your interview with T.J. McCreight. Good stuff. What concerns me most about the current state of things is how far away we are from truly competing. Do you agree with or have any additions to this list of current needs? QB, DT, CB1 (Banks is a number 2 in my opinion), WR2 and probably another offensive lineman. Those are just needs, additional firepower might be another edge rusher and safety.
Ed says: Steven, I think that list is pretty much on target. There are always going to be needs to fill. Reality is that quarterback is the biggest need. It makes the most difference. It’s not hard to argue the Giants would be roughly .500 with better quarterback play.
Michael Wroblewski asks: Ed, Jones’ struggles this year were well documented and noted by you and many of the writers who cover the team. What I want to know is, was he showing the same tendencies during his excellent season in 2022? We now hear draft analysts saying he showed this in college but the reality is many analysts also had him as a legitimate first round pick. Was he just getting by on his first read in 2022? He elevated players around him that year. His starting receivers were Richie James and Marcus Johnson at the beginning of the year and a rookie tight end, Daniel Bellinger. Slayton was inactive for a month and he made Hodgins look good down the stretch. Pat Shurmur noted 2 years ago that other than his fumbles, he had a good rookie year and you felt positive about him going forward. Joe Judge praised him to ownership as he was walking out the door. What happened? Maybe the neck injury is still lingering and he’s just not saying anything? Maybe he came back too soon from the knee surgery?
Ed says: Michael, I am including your question but I will admit I am not really “answering” your question. We have rehashed the whole “what went wrong and who’s fault is it?” question so many times I am not doing it again. There’s no point.
I started saying last season that at some point you just have to recognize that — whatever the reason — it hasn’t worked the way it needs to and try something else. Blame whoever or whatever you want, that is where we are now. It’s time to go in another direction, and with Jones having asked for and received his release that is what has now happened.
Michael Munger asks: Now that I’ve been fully vindicated about Daniel Jones I’m glad we can finally look to the future. I see some people saying we should get a “bridge QB” to get us to Arch Manning in 2026 but that would require another full year of being bottom feeders. I’d much rather get our QB in this draft whether it’s Ward or Sanders, get a couple more pieces, and get back to the playoffs next year. Which way do you lean? And if we can’t get Ward or Sanders is there a position you’d want us to go after besides QB?
Ed says: Michael, you make it sound so neat and tidy and easy. In reality, it is anything but.
If the Giants are in position to draft Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders there is no guarantee either of them will be good NFL players. As Chris Pflum has been saying, Ward is his QB1 this year. Put him in last year’s class, Chris would have him ranked as QB7 behind a whole bunch of guys the Giants chose not to draft.
You can’t just snap your fingers, put together the team you want and automatically get to the playoffs.
If the Giants love Ward, Sanders, Jalen Milroe or whoever, then by all means draft him. If they don’t, or can’t get the guy they want, keep building. Don’t take a quarterback just because you feel like you have to. If it isn’t a quarterback I’d be happy with the best cornerback, defensive tackle or offensive tackle in the draft.
Aaron Pempel asks: This week, Tiki Barber floated the idea of the Giants trading for Trevor Lawrence. While he’s had challenges in the NFL, Lawrence was one of the top QB prospects coming out of college, he won a national championship, and he went to the Pro Bowl in 2022. Also, he’s 6’6, 220 pounds, and is just 25 years old. What are your thoughts?
Ed says: Aaron, Lawrence is on my list of potential replacements for Jones. I don’t think the Jaguars are trading him, I think the Giants would prefer to draft and develop their own guy, and I would prefer that, as well. Still, it is an idea that can’t be dismissed out of hand.
Rich Bostwick asks: Have to think the Giants are taking a QB early in the upcoming draft and as we all know they have to get it right. My question to you is this, a second QB graded high is still there (3rd/4th rd.), do you draft him too?
Ed says: Would I draft two quarterbacks this April? No. The Giants have too many other needs to be double-dipping at quarterback and drafting someone in the third or fourth round who won’t play. I know the New England Patriots drafted Joe Milton in Round 6 after taking Drake Maye No. 3 overall. Maybe I would do that, but I’m not taking two quarterbacks early.
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