Joe Judge can’t say for sure that Daniel Jones’ season isn’t over.
The Giants’ quarterback officially has been ruled out for Sunday’s game in Miami with a neck strain, and Jones is considered week-to-week with the injury, according to sources.
The belief since Tuesday has been that Jones should miss fewer than three games and avoid having to go on injured reserve.
But Judge set off more alarms on Friday by revealing “we don’t have any answers on the immediate future yet,” by hedging on whether this is a season-ending injury, and by admitting there is a “gray area” in Jones’ timeline to be cleared for contact.
“There’s really no final decision on that,” Judge said. “There’s been a series of checkups, and this morning we had a meeting with the medical team. Based on the information that was given, we made the decision that was best for Daniel.”
Judge first hedged on Wednesday when asked if the Giants believed this was a season-ending injury.
“At this moment, no,” he said.
Then on Friday, Judge hedged again on the team’s optimism.
“At this point, that would remain true,” he said.
The reality is the Giants have known all week that Jones wasn’t going to play, even though they held out hope for a change in his status and progress.
Backup quarterback Mike Glennon, who will start on Sunday in Jones’ place, said he thought all week there was a “good chance” he’d get the nod.
Jake Fromm, who will back up Glennon in his first-ever NFL game in uniform, said the Giants told him he was likely going to play when they signed him off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad on Tuesday.
“Yeah, they did tell me that,” Fromm said.
Judge insisted Jones’ injury is a neck strain and nothing more. He wouldn’t go into any specifics about it.
He said Jones has been evaluated for a concussion since Sunday’s win over the Eagles, even though he wasn’t tested on gameday.
“They’ve talked through symptoms of different things,” he said. “Yeah, they obviously go through the checkups and all that stuff.”
Judge said the Giants will “evaluate [Jones] for the future as soon as next week” and that the coach will check with senior VP of medical services Ronnie Barnes on plans to do so.
That means Jones’ next meaningful checkup may happen in Tucson, Ariz., where the Giants are practicing next week in between games at Miami and Los Angeles.
“I’ve got to check with Ronnie officially,” Judge said. “The doctors will be in [Saturday]. He’s kind of gone through a series of checkups. Monday will be a day all of our players see the doctor, and then there’s guys that will be with us in Arizona throughout the course of the week.”
The official reason Judge said Jones wasn’t playing Sunday is that “he has not been cleared for contact” and “we don’t feel 100% comfortable with him until the medical team clears him fully.”
The Giants (4-7) are up against it coming off a narrow 13-7 win over the Eagles, visiting a blitz-happy Dolphins (5-7) team that has won four straight.
Jones’ offense managed only 13 points in Freddie Kitchens’ first game calling plays following the firing of Jason Garrett. Now Glennon steps in for his second appearance of the season, including relief of an injured Jones in a Week 5 blowout loss at Dallas.
The Giants’ season already was irrelevant, but if Jones isn’t in the lineup, this will be a painful slog to the finish.
Jones was on the practice field all week trying to convince coaches and doctors he could play. Judge even said his QB “looked good moving” and “throwing the ball” and operating the offense in his limited practice participation.
But they made the best decision for his health, even as Judge acknowledged this is “frustrating” for Jones.
“Daniel always wants to play,” Judge said. “That being said, we needed to make the decision. We’re pushing to get him on the field as soon as he’s healthy and ready to go. He wants to be on the field. He just wasn’t cleared for contact today.
“In terms of what it’s going to look like in the immediate weeks coming up and future weeks down the stretch,” the coach added, “there’s no answers right now. Everything else would be hypothetical or guessing at this point.”
ADOREE’ OUT; SOLDER QUESTIONABLE
Starting corner Adoree’ Jackson (quad) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game along with Jones (neck strain), tight end Kaden Smith (knee) and edge Trent Harris (ankle). Smith and Harris were placed on injured reserve, ruling them out for at least the next three games.
Meanwhile, starting right tackle Nate Solder (elbow) didn’t practice Friday and was a late-week addition to the injury report as questionable. That could give way to young tackle Matt Peart as Sunday’s starter against the Dolphins.
Jackson’s absence means the Giants lost two corners during last week’s win over the Eagles: Darnay Holmes (ribs, injured reserve) for at least three games and Jackson for at least one.
Wide receivers Sterling Shepard (quad) and Kadarius Toney (oblique/quad) are both listed as doubtful, and neither player is expected to play. Shepard will miss a fourth consecutive game. Toney will sit out his second straight.
Tight end Kyle Rudolph (ankle), wide receiver John Ross (illness/quad) and special teamer Cullen Gillaspia (calf) are all questionable.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment