The Giants are prepared to give Daniel Jones another season to show he can be the team’s long-term starter, but the regime that drafted Jones is out, leaving the former No. 6 overall pick’s future with the franchise in question.
GM Joe Schoen signed Tyrod Taylor, who was with the Bills during Schoen’s first year in Buffalo, to back up Jones. Taylor’s deal runs through 2023. The Giants have not decided on Jones’ 2023 option. The team will almost certainly not take a quarterback with its No. 5 overall pick, but its second-round selection (No. 36) could be a spot where the position is considered.
Sam Howell has popped up on the Giants’ radar. The North Carolina quarterback drew a sizable Giants contingent at his pro day, including new Big Blue QBs coach Shea Tierney, and SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano notes the team visited with the ex-Tar Heel passer over the weekend. While this is the NFL calendar’s prime smokescreen period, the Giants make sense as an interested team.
Once firmly on the first-round radar, Howell slipped a bit after a junior season with a new-look Tar Heels cast. Exoduses of Javonte Williams, Michael Carter, Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown undoubtedly impacted Howell, whom ESPN ranks 50th among this year’s prospects. Still, a few teams are monitoring the 6-foot-2 QB. The Commanders and Saints were sent several staffers to Howell’s pro day, while the Steelers met with him just ahead of his Giants meeting. The Panthers are also meeting with the in-state prospect this week.
Second-round QBs are obviously riskier propositions, though a Howell pick now probably would not dissuade Schoen and Co. from investing a first-rounder on another passer in 2023 or ’24 — should Jones not show enough this season. The Giants hold one second-round pick but could acquire additional Day 2 capital by trading one of their top-10 choices for a sizable haul.
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