After his benching in favor of Tommy DeVito, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones played safety in practice, which is normal according to former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci.
DiNucci took to X, formerly Twitter, to discuss the move. He quote-posted a post from Ari Meirov, who revealed Jones’ scout team role. He guaranteed that all third-string quarterbacks are playing safety like Jones.
“I did this for 3 years,” his post began. “If you aren’t QB1 or QB2[,] I promise you’re playing scout [team] safety lol. I’m willing to bet 75% of QB3s right now are scout [safeties] and haven’t touched a ball since training camp.”
Formerly, Ben DiNucci was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys after playing college football at Pittsburgh and James Madison.
Throughout his NFL career, he only played in three games, all in his rookie season, starting one. He threw for 180 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions, in his first career start with the Cowboys.
He has since played for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, leading the league in passing yards in 2023. DiNucci also spent time on the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills and is currently a free agent.
New York Giants benching of Daniel Jones
On November 18, 2024, Jones was benched by the Giants. The team is 2-8 and will turn to DeVito, who previously appeared in nine games in 2023.
During his 2023 run, DeVito took the NFL by storm. He threw for 1,101 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions. He was also sacked 37 times.
A few days after the benching, Jones issued a statement on the matter during his press conference. He called the opportunity to play for the franchise a “dream come true.”
“There’ve been some great times but of course, we all wish there’d been more of those. I take full responsibility for my part in not bringing more wins,” he said. “No one wanted to win more games worse than me, and I gave everything I had on the field in my preparation. Of course, this season has been disappointing for all, and of course, I wish I could have done more.
“I’m 100 percent accountable for my part. I did not play well enough consistently enough to help the team get the results [we wanted],” Jones continued.
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His career
Since taking over for Eli Manning in 2019, Jones, the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, has had a rocky career with the Giants. He threw for over 3,000 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in his rookie year. That remains his best statistical season of his career.
In 2022, Jones led the Giants to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Jones threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also rushed for 708 yards and seven touchdowns.
He subsequently earned a $160 million contract extension. So far in 2024, Jones has thrown for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 10 games.
The presumed final game of Jones’ Giants career was against the Carolina Panthers. He threw for 190 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in the overtime loss.