Giants' Daniel Jones not surprised he returned from injury on schedule

The New York Giants conducted the first practice of their 2024 training camp on Wednesday. The offense, which hasn’t played together as a whole since early last season, was sluggish, to say the least.

Few were surprised that quarterback Daniel Jones, playing in 11-on-11’s for the first time this year, was a bit rusty behind his newly rebuilt offensive line and surrounded by several new receivers and running backs.

But Jones is not to be deterred. He’s keeping things light and is brimming with optimism.

“I’m confident in this group, confident in where we can be. I think we’ve added some good pieces, and we’ll be a good football team. So, playing this position, playing in the NFL, there are always expectations, but we have high expectations of ourselves, and we expect a lot from our offense and from our team,” he told reporters.

Jones last played on November 5 against the Raiders in Las Vegas. He left the game in the first half with a knee injury that turned out to be a torn ACL that would end his season. He has worked hard to get back on the field.

One thing at a time.

“It felt good to be back out there. Playing 11-on-11. I thought for the most part it went well,” Jones said. “A couple of plays here and there, but for the most part, we kept the ball moving forward and stayed out of negative plays. The first day, we are all getting our feet underneath us, so build on it and go from there.”

Jones is not shocked that he back playing. It was part of his plan as he “worked his tail off” for the past six months.

“I expected to be here,” Jones said. “I expected the process to go smoothly and well because we have good doctors, (athletic) trainers, and strength coaches and a clear plan from the get-go. It is definitely good to be here. I’m grateful to be out there and grateful to all the people who have helped me get to this point — still, a lot of work to do across the board.

“I will continue to rehab and focus on my knee, but also, from a football standpoint, getting back into 11-on-11 and playing football. Yeah, I’m grateful to be here, but it was kind of the plan all along, and I certainly expected to be here.”

Last year, Jones played in just six games and the Giants scored a grand total of 68 points in those games (an 11.3 points per game average). Jones was asked his assessment of what went wrong.

“Overall, not consistent enough,” he said. “Obviously, the injuries affected that, and you’d love to have more opportunities and more time on the field, but it wasn’t consistent enough. I am continuing to focus on getting the ball out of my hands quicker, getting it in our playmakers’ hands, and letting them go to work. I think we’ll all be better together and I’m excited about where we’re going.”

Time will tell.