Former New York Giants offensive lineman and current free agent Justin Pugh credited the club for not replacing starting quarterback Daniel Jones with a first-round draft pick this spring.
"I think the Giants did the right thing," Pugh said during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, as shared by Michael France of Fan Nation's Giants Country. "Everyone wanted them to go quarterback in the draft ... Just continue to surround (Jones) with talent and see what he has. You paid the man, you're going to go out there, and this is a make-or-break year for Daniel Jones."
The Giants reportedly explored moving up from the sixth overall pick of this year's draft with Drake Maye in mind, but the New England Patriots ultimately kept the No. 3 pick and selected the North Carolina signal-caller. New York stayed at No. 6 and chose Malik Nabers, who is expected to become Jones' No. 1 wide receiver.
The Giants can escape Jones' contract next offseason and have backups Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito ready to go in case the 2019 first-round draft pick plays poorly or goes down with another injury this fall.
Jones has dealt with two neck-related issues since the 2021 campaign and is coming off a torn right ACL that he suffered on Nov. 5.
For a piece published Monday, Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic mentioned how the Giants made multiple offseason moves to bolster Jones' protection because they "can’t afford another season wrecked by poor offensive line play."
Pugh shared a similar sentiment while emphasizing his support of Jones.
"We were completely obliterated along the offensive line," Pugh said about featuring for the Giants this past season. "And Daniel, you know, didn't have as much time back there. ...You're telling me you're not going to trot that guy out there and make sure you know that he's going to be the quarterback of the future? His contract looks pretty good right now."
Even if that line routinely betrays Jones through what becomes yet another disappointing campaign for everyone involved, Giants general manager Joe Schoen may have to consider moving on from the 27-year-old assuming Schoen is still employed by the organization when the next NFL year opens in March 2025.
