Instead of coaching the Giants, Brian Daboll could be a contestant on “Let’s Make a Deal,” trying to determine if his starting quarterback is behind Door No. 1, Door No. 2 or Door No. 3.
Daniel Jones has a sprained ankle, Daboll confirmed, but will start Sunday for the Giants against the Packers if he is deemed healthy enough to play. Tyrod Taylor remains in the NFL-regulated five-step concussion protocol and could start if Jones cannot, could take his normal place as Jones’ backup or could be inactive if not medically cleared. And Davis Webb could be elevated from the practice squad to start, could be the backup or could stay home while his teammates fly to London for the game.
While Daboll said that fleet-footed Jones was “feeling a little bit better” Monday compared to Sunday when he was sidelined for 12 plays prior to Taylor’s concussion and limped his way to the finish without throwing a fourth-quarter pass, multiple sources in and around the team expressed early doubt about such a quick return. The Giants return to practice Wednesday, and Daboll maintains that Jones can throw if needed.
“The first thing we do is make sure he’s as healthy as can be,” Daboll said, “and if he can do the things that we need him to do for that game plan, then we talk about it. If he can’t, then he can’t.”
Jones avoided any ankle fracture, said Daboll, who would not reveal whether it is a lateral ankle sprain or the more severe high ankle sprain. It is possible that Jones could play despite little to no participation in practice because Daboll likes to wait “as long as we can to see who’s going to be active” if there is even a slight chance of availability.
“I’m just going to take it each day and see how he is,” Daboll said. “If he can practice and perform the things we need him to do, great. If he needs a day [off], he needs a day. He’s obviously played a lot of football, and I trust him and where he’s at. We, as coaches, have to do a good job of watching him, evaluating him and getting all the information we need to get to make the best decision for him and the team.”
Pass-catchers and quarterbacks who don’t normally work together could have to develop a rapport on the fly. Then again, the run-heavy Giants are tied for fifth-fewest completions in the NFL, anyway.
“We’re going to be prepared for whatever happens,” tight end Tanner Hudson said. “You’d like to get as many catches in with as many quarterbacks as you can so everybody sees your ability, but it’s our job to catch the ball when it’s thrown to us.”
The Giants held a group workout for available players Monday and could do the same Tuesday, but whether a quarterback is signed from free agency is “dependent” on updates on Jones and Taylor. There is no indication that the Giants will sign Matt Barkley, who spent three seasons in Daboll’s offense, off of the Bills practice squad.
Any player signed off another team’s practice squad is guaranteed a spot on his new team’s 53-man roster for three weeks. Webb is a four-year veteran of Daboll’s offense and, like any in-house player, could twice be elevated on game day without signing to the roster.
“You try to plan for every contingency that you may or may not have during the week,” Daboll said. “That will certainly be one of them.
“I don’t want to guess right now where [Jones and Taylor] are going to be, but Davis has been in our offense for quite some time and knows the ins and outs of it. If he has to play, we’ll do everything we can — and I know he will — to be ready. But I don’t think we’re at that point yet to make a decision. We’ll let this thing play out.”
