Under the previous Giants coaching staff, quarterback Daniel Jones was asked to protect the ball at all costs.
As a result, Jones reduced his fumbling and overall turnovers over the last two seasons after coughing the ball up too much as a rookie in 2019. But with that increased caution came decreased production for the former No. 6 overall pick and the Giants’ offense in general.
Brian Daboll, the new head coach for Big Blue, is taking a slightly different approach with Jones than his predecessor Joe Judge did.
“Yeah, look, we want to make sure we protect the ball,” Daboll said at OTAs on Thursday, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “But again, you can’t go out there and play afraid. Be smart, not reckless, if you will. If he’s got a shot on the right read, let it go.
“There’s going to be things that happen in every game. The defense is going to make a good play, there might be a tipped ball. We’re going to have to do a good job of taking care of the football, but I want him to turn it loose.”
Daboll also added that he wants Jones to be aggressive in practice and not worry about throwing interceptions.
Through three seasons and 38 career games, Jones has passed for 8,398 yards and 45 touchdowns but has also thrown 29 interceptions. In total, he’s turned the ball over 49 times while producing 50 total TDs.
The Giants declined Jones’ fifth-year option earlier this spring, making this a crucial season for the 2019 first-round pick.