Daniel Jones' summer has certainly been a wild one.
First, he was drafted by the New York Giants with the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft. Then, he heard countless fans and media pundits disparage the Giants for making the pick, questioning why they didn't take Dwayne Haskins.
Now, people are campaigning for Jones to open the season as New York's starter thanks to three impressive preseason showings.
So, with Jones' final preseason game coming up on Thursday and the regular season less than two weeks away, here are three last-minute predictions for the rookie quarterback entering 2019.
3. He won't open the season as the starter
Look: Jones has looked great in preseason. He has completed 25 of his 30 passes. He has looked shockingly comfortable in the pocket for a first-year signal-caller. He has looked exceedingly confident.
But he isn't going to start Week 1.
Eli Manning is the Giants' starting quarterback until further notice, so everyone beating the drum for Jones to open the season under center probably needs to give it a bit of a rest.
This doesn't mean Jones won't play or start at some point in 2019, but it won't be during the season opener, unless there is an injury.
Jones is New York's quarterback of the future, and the Giants are not going to want to rush him.
2. He'll see some action in blowouts
Let's say the Giants are blowing a team out or, more likely, are getting blown out by someone early on in the season. Even though Manning may have started the game, New York could then bring Jones in late just to get some reps.
I'm not saying the Giants will make the switch to Jones in the middle of a rout, but if there are only a couple of drives remaining in the fourth quarter and the game is already decided, New York could very well go to Jones, as there would be virtually no pressure in that moment.
Remember: the Giants did this with Eli back when he was a rookie in 2004 before he eventually took over for Kurt Warner midway through the season.
It's a very viable strategy to get your young quarterback some reps in a low-pressure situation, which could then prepare him to actually start a game later on in the year.
1. He'll start some games in the second half of the season
The Giants probably already have a plan as far as when they plan on bringing Jones in to start.
It almost certainly depends on how New York fares early on in the season. If the Giants get off to a surprisingly good or decent start and are in playoff contention, they will stick with Manning. If they get off to a slow start and find themselves out of it come Week 8, they will probably transition to Jones.
Keep in mind that opponent matters here, too.
For example, the Giants' halfway point of the season comes on Oct. 10, when they have to battle the New England Patriots in Foxborough. Chances are, Pat Shurmur won't throw Jones to the wolves in that one and may wait until the following week when the Giants return home to battle the Arizona Cardinals.
Basically, New York is going to handle this delicately and as strategically as possible.
But, so long as the Giants don't shockingly contend for a playoff spot, Jones will probably start at some point during the latter half of the season.
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