Quarterback Jones could start Sunday vs. Ravens
QB listed as questionable; WR Tate declared out; Ryan gets 3-year extension
The New York Giants might be closer to getting back starting quarterback Daniel Jones.
Jones was listed as questionable after being limited in practice Friday. He is recovering from hamstring and ankle injuries that have sidelined him for two of the past three games, but has made enough progress that he could be behind center Sunday at Baltimore.
If Jones is not available, Colt Mccoy would start for New York (5-9), which needs to keep winning in the NFC East, where it trails Washington by one game and is tied with Dallas.
Whoever is at quarterback, he will not have receiver Golden Tate to target. Tate was declared out with a calf issue.
Also questionable are the Giants’ leading tackler, linebacker Blake Martinez (ankle), and rookie defensive back Darnay Holmes (knee). Both were limited on Friday.
Fully practicing were tight end Evan Engram (calf ) and tackle Matt Peart (ankle).
Sticking around
Giants safety Logan Ryan will be with the team a while longer.
Ryan, 29, agreed to a three-year deal with the Giants on Christmas morning, he announced on Twitter.
“A Christmas Morning we’ll never forget,” Ryan said on Twitter.
The deal is worth $30 million with $20 million guaranteed, the New York Daily News confirmed. It’s a high price, but Ryan is the first reliable Giants free safety in some time. The
deal shows that the Giants value his leadership as a conduit from Joe Judge’s staff to players and defense as much as his play.
Ryan — who spent the past three seasons with the Tennessee Titans and four seasons before that with the New England Patriots — agreed to a one-year deal in free agency to help fill out a depleted Giants secondary for the 2020 season. That deal, worth $7.5 million, gave Ryan the chance to prove himself and it paid off.
In the 14 games he played (13 started) so far this season, Ryan logged 1.0 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 4 QB hits and 9 passes defended. Ryan was also responsible for a crucial late game interception in Week 9 against Washington, which helped the Giants secure a 23-20 win and improve to 2-7.
Ryan has solidly also bought into the Giants’ plans for future success in his short time with the team so far.
“Although I did not make the pro bowl this year I wanna take a sec and shoutout Giants fans who voted for me 77 thousand + times,” Ryan wrote on Twitter on Monday after the Pro Bowl selections were announced. “Not
bad for a guy who switched to the safety position a couple months ago.
“Pro Bowl or not, I’m going to keep leading and playing at a high level because that’s what Giants fans deserve.”
The Giants have made a late-season push for the NFC East title and a spot in the playoffs and it’s no secret Ryan has been a big part of that. They rode a four-game win streak high into two consecutive losses to Kyler Murray’s Cardinals and the Browns, after injuries and a COVID -19 outbreak scare prior to Week 15.
The two remaining games, against the Ravens and the Cowboys, on the schedule could either seal the Giants’ fate or give them something to celebrate in the new year.
“We are where we are,” Ryan said during an uncharacteristically frustrated conference call after the Week 15 loss to the Browns. “We have two games in front of us where we have to go out there and win. … I was never a front runner, I’m not a front runner now. So I have no problem with the position we’re in, as long as we can believe that we can win next week.”