4. DJ has “made progress every day”
Quarterback Daniel Jones tore his ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders just over nine months ago. But watching the sixth-year quarterback move and fight in the pocket at practice, you’d never know he just came back from major knee surgery. Jones’ quick recovery has given him the opportunity to practice with his new pass catchers, which his head coach says is valuable for the veteran quarterback.
“He’s been making progress every day,” Daboll said. “We’re throwing some new guys in again. This is his first time on the team. It’s been a steady improvement since he first came on the team and had people around his legs. There are new things, new pieces, new tight ends, new receivers. So it’s always a work in progress.”
“At least I was part of it, in training camp, when you’re dealing with new players and things like that. He’s done a fantastic job coming back from his injury. He’s continuing to grow and has done well the last couple of weeks.”
Jones has been throwing the ball well since the start of training camp. During Tuesday’s practice, the 27-year-old completed a long 30-yard pass to Darius Slayton before hitting Jalin Hyatt in the scrum up the middle on the next play. Those two plays were followed by a first-down pass to Wan’Dale Robinson.
With his quick recovery and performance this summer, Jones has clearly impressed some of his experienced teammates.
“For me personally, he’s a dog,” Singletary told reporters. “He comes to work every day. Definitely a playmaker. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with him this year.”
When asked how Jones showed his teammates that he was a “dog,” Singletary said, “Just by the way he attacks every day. In practice, on the field, by the way he does his job. You know a dog when you see one.”
5. Kayvon’s “Pass Rush has evolved”
Kayvon Thibodeaux has made a huge leap from his rookie season to his second year in the NFL. After recording 4.5 sacks and finishing fourth in the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, Thibodeaux improved tremendously last season, finishing with a team-high 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Thibodeaux and Brian Burns have spoken at length about how they encourage each other every day in practice. While Burns has garnered most of the attention throughout training camp, and rightfully so considering his dominant performance all summer, Thibodeaux has quietly put together a strong series of practices over the past few weeks. The third-year outside linebacker has found his way into the backfield almost daily, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his head coach.
“He had a good training camp,” Daboll told the media. “I think his pass rush has evolved. I think he’s practicing at a good pace, at a good speed. You notice him out there. He’s been pretty consistent with everything we’ve asked of him. I’m happy with Kayvon.”
