The New York Giants had a third quarterback at practice on January 4 according to New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard and ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Although, it was a familiar face.
“Giants re-sign QB Jacob Eason to the practice squad,” Raanan confirmed. “Seems like a contingency [for Week 18]. Tyrod Taylor (back) was listed as limited on the injury report.”
Eason will also retake the QB3 job after being signed into that role in early November. At the time, both Taylor and Daniel Jones were placed on the injured reserve and the Giants had very little depth behind Tommy DeVito and Matt Barkley.
Considering Barkley’s recent departure to Jacksonville, it makes sense that Big Blue reunite with Eason. The former fourth-round talent out of Washington may not be the answer at quarterback, but he’s promising enough to settle into a developmental role over the offseason.
A 6-foot-6, 230-pound gunslinger in college, Eason has always had the physical size and arm to be an NFL QB. Unfortunately, he has not been able to figure out the mental aspects of the game — like poise under pressure and decision-making.
Giants re-sign QB Jacob Eason to the practice squad.
Seems like a contingency. Tyrod Taylor (back) was listed as limited on the injury report.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) January 4, 2024
Eason is 5-of-10 for 84 yards and two interceptions during his professional career. For now, he’ll get another shot learning under Giants head coach Brian Daboll, which is not a bad place to be.
Giants Coordinators Deflect Job Security Questions in Week 18
Ahead of the Week 18 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, each Giants coordinator was asked about their job security in 2024. Although each of the three had a different way of answering the question, all three chose to deflect it in one way or another.
The Talkin’ Giants podcast clipped all three responses together for fans on X.
Clip of Wink Martindale, Mike Kafka & Thomas McGaughey being asked if they expect to be back with the Giants in 2024 pic.twitter.com/dUelw93TdA
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) January 4, 2024
“Do I expect to be back? I don’t know why I wouldn’t,” NYG defensive coordinator Wink Martindale replied. “Like I said, you have those conversations and it’s at the end of [the season]. After this last game, you sit back and you can reflect. You take the emotion out of it. The emotion, the grind, the stress of preparing every week, and you sit back and you talk things out.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was much briefer with his choice of words. “Well, my only focus is on today and this week and preparing our guys as best we can for Philadelphia,” he said.
As for special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey — who’s been under more fire than anyone throughout the year — the ST coach voiced that he “always expects to be back” being that he’s got one more year on his contract.
“I’ll cross that road when I get there,” McGaughey added, noting that “whatever happens, happens.” He also acknowledged that potentially being fired or replaced is commonplace for the NFL, no matter what position you hold.
Don’t Expect Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll to Prioritize Youth in Week 18
If you’re expecting younger Giants prospects to get more playing time in Week 18, you might be disappointed on Sunday versus the Eagles.
“No,” Coach Daboll told reporters when asked if he’s going to approach playing time any differently this week. “[We’ll] just try to do what we can to win.”
As for playing spoiler against Philadelphia, Daboll did not publicly voice that the Giants’ focus is motivated by that either. “No, just try to do the best we can to prepare and play as good as we can to try to win the game,” he replied on January 3.
That’s who Daboll is as a head coach. He’s not going to give you much in the pressers, but he’ll up his intensity on the sidelines — as we’ve seen.
We’ll see how much Week 18 means to the Giants on the field on Sunday, and veteran snap counts will certainly be a big part of that.
