Daniel Jones stuck in injury limbo as Giants get Andrew Thomas back on field

10/25/2023
There is still something going on inside the left side of Daniel Jones’ neck, and until that something is gone he will not take the field and play for the Giants this season.
“I think there are still symptoms there,” Jones said Wednesday when asked what he was feeling.
“There are certain symptoms that they’re looking for and testing for, from a pain level and based on how I feel,’’ Jones said. “I feel good, and that’s been the communication from that symptom standpoint.’’
Yet there is this:
“There are certain things that I haven’t done yet,’’ he said.
This is why Jones has not been given medical clearance for contact.
He was on the field Wednesday, able to throw and run. He said he is allowed to lift weights.
He was listed as a limited participant in practice and will remain limited until he is symptom free.
This makes it highly likely he will miss his third consecutive game, and it will be Tyrod Taylor starting at quarterback Sunday against the Jets.
“Same as he was last week,’’ coach Brian Daboll said. “He’ll do stuff in practice, non-contact.’’
Jones missed the final six games of the 2021 season with a neck issue, and he insists what he is currently going through is a different injury.
Now, as then, he was warned of the possible dangers of playing a collision sport before his neck was completely healed.
“Yeah, they’ve shared that with me,’’ Jones said, “I’m certainly trying as hard as I can to get back, but from the doctor’s standpoint, it’s not something that he can clear me to do at this point, so trying to do everything I can to get back.
“I mean, I think any time you’re talking about the neck, you’ve got to understand the risk of re-injury and what would happen if you were to re-injure it, so yeah, that’s certainly a component of it.’’
Jones said he feels “a lot better’’ than when he was first hurt — in a 31-16, Week 5 loss to the Dolphins, when he was sacked from behind by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
Daboll reiterated that when Jones is healthy, he will return to the starting lineup.
The Giants are 1-1 with Taylor starting in place of Jones, losing to the Bills, 14-9, and beating the Commanders, 14-7.
Asked why he came to this decision, Daboll was uninterested in listing reasons.
“I’m not getting into that,’’ Daboll said. “I mean, he’s our starter. I’ve said it, I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked, but I’ve said it a bunch.’’