Tiki Barber worried Giants’ Daniel Jones may not be ready to return

Last November, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a torn ACL. He played in just six games in 2023 and was sacked 30 times. With an average of five sacks per game, Jones would have been sacked a record 85 times had he played a full season.

Recovery from a torn ACL is always lengthy, leaving some to question whether Jones will be ready for the start of the season.

One of those questioning Jones’ return is the Giants’ legendary running back Tiki Barber.

“I’m still worried that Daniel Jones might not be ready for the start of the regular season,” Barber said on Thursday, via WFAN Sports Radio. “Joe Schoen said it out loud (on Hard Knocks), ‘What if our quarterback isn’t ready for the start of the season?’

“I saw Daniel a couple of weeks ago… He looked great. Big, strong, strapping, running around, always working out. He looked good. But looking good in no pads is different than being on a football field and being aggressively pursued by defenders.

“I hope he’s ready. But in my mind, I can’t help but think that he might not be.”

The average amount of time a football player takes to fully recover from ACL surgery is nine months. Jones will hit that mark in August. Being ready for the start of the season isn’t out of the question, but it’s also possible we see Drew Lock lining up under center in Week 1.

Jones has yet to play a full 17-game season in the NFL. He could have in 2022 but was held out of the Week 17 game when the Giants already secured a playoff spot.

We’ll have a better idea of what Jones is ready for when training camp arrives later this month.