Despite receiving mixed reviews five years into his career, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has the full support of his current teammates and former teammates alike.
Jones, of course, had his best season as a pro last year since entering the league in 2019 and had arguably his best game in his playoff debut against the Minnesota Vikings.
We have seen plenty of praise from his current teammates, but it’s even more telling when one of Jones’ former teammates shows support and confidence in his continued progression.
Former Giants tight end Kyle Rudolph was a guest on FanDuel TV’s Up & Adams with Kay Adams this week and had high praise for his ex-quarterback.
“Nobody wants to give him the credit of being a freak athlete … but he’s as talented, if not more talented than any quarterback I played with.”@KyleRudolph on those who are still underestimating Daniel Jones.
📺: @FanDuelTV
@heykayadams
@Giants pic.twitter.com/39w4cADZn4— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) September 5, 2023
“I think you expect the guy who takes another step forward off of what he showed last year,” Rudolph said. “You look at DJ and the circumstances that he was placed in his first three years — that organization did everything possible to screw him up. You draft the kid sixth overall, many people believe he was over-drafted, but they saw a skillset. And I say this all the time, and I think people started to see it a little bit last year, no one wants to give him the credit for being this kind of freak athlete because he’s a nerdy kid from Duke and he just doesn’t have that about him.”
Much like Eli Manning before him, Jones has never been the rah-rah type of leader who steals national headlines.
“People don’t want to give him that credit because it’s not his nature, it’s not his personality. But he’s as talented and I said this when I got to New York, he’s as talented if not more talented than any quarterback I played with at that point,” Rudolph said. “And now you’re starting to see his skill set shine through under an offensive-minded head coach in Brian Daboll, who is putting him in situations.
“You know, I was with (Mike) Kafka as a backup quarterback in Minnesota and now seeing him as an offensive coordinator, and the things that he’s implementing there… These guys, we keep talking to the quarterbacks and the quarterback position. If you don’t put them in a situation to be successful and surround them with guys up front to protect them and playmakers around them, they’re not gonna have success, especially early in their career.”
The Giants and general manager Joe Schoen set out to do exactly that this offseason.
“I think that’s the best trait about him is he has a similar personality (to) Eli Manning to where all of that media in New York City and all of the outside perspective won’t bother him,” Rudolph said. “Whether it’s through a great season and a playoff win like last year or when the New York Giants have adversity like they will at some point this year. That adversity is not gonna bother him. He’s going to show up to work every day and give you everything he has to go out and help his team win and that’s all he really cares about.
“I think that’s ultimately why you see Eli go on in, win a couple of Super Bowls, and win a couple of Super Bowl MVPs. Because he never really worried about anything else. It was just about going and playing ball and giving his guys around him a chance to have success, and that’s what DJ does.”
Rudolph signed with the Giants in 2021 and was expected to be a red zone threat for Big Blue. His tenure lasted just one year as he was released the following offseason.
Despite his story stint in blue, he saw firsthand everything Jones brings to the table.
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