ASHBURN, Va. — His mobility has been discussed frequently. So has his impressive poise and understanding of coach Pat Shurmur’s offense.
But when the Redskins’ Ryan Kerrigan watched film of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones — not just his brilliant opener in Sunday’s come-from-behind victory over the Buccaneers, but his four preseason games — what stood out first was his ability to put the ball wherever he wanted it.
“From his preseason and that start on Sunday you saw, he’s really accurate,” the veteran linebacker said Wednesday. “There’s not many incomplete passes with him. He hasn’t thrown a pick.”
Jones, the rookie first-round pick from Duke, completed 23 of 36 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, and that 63.9 completion percentage was actually down from his preseason numbers. In four exhibition games, he completed 29 of 34 passes (85.3 percent) for two touchdowns. He has yet to be intercepted in 74 attempts.
“You can see why he was picked that high,” Kerrigan said. “He can make all the throws from in the pocket, but also as evidenced from Sunday, is pretty mobile, too. He’s a guy that can do it with his arms and legs.”
The Redskins joined the growing chorus in praising Jones. They didn’t dismiss his one big game as an aberration or say they needed to see more. It’s the opposite of the questions Giants general manager Dave Gettleman faced on draft night, when he took Jones sixth, letting Ohio State star Dwayne Haskins fall to the Redskins at No. 15. But after an impressive summer and an even better performance Sunday, Jones has been the talk of the league.
“It’s impressive. He throws the ball on time. He’s accurate with the football,” Redskins cornerback Josh Norman said. “He doesn’t do more than what’s asked of him in the system. His mobility [allows] him to make plays. He’s definitely [good] in that area. He represents that threat to us. It’s hard when you get a guy like that who can escape with his feet. You have to be wary of that.”
Jones ran for two touchdowns against the Buccaneers and picked up 28 rushing yards on four carries. He also used his feet to extend plays, as Norman said, creating opportunities that hadn’t been there under Eli Manning.
“His mobility is something the Giants haven’t had,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said.
The Redskins talked more about what they need to do to keep the rookie in check, rather than him needing to be at the top of his game to get the better of them. Of course, the winless Redskins have performed poorly on defense, allowing 31.3 points per game, as Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott and Mitch Trubisky have put up big numbers against them. They don’t want the same thing to happen against Jones.
“We have to go into the game expecting [him to do] what we’ve watched so far,” Norman said.