Report: Daniel Jones not close to taking Eli Manning’s starting job

Daniel Jones has been turning heads since the New York Giants began training camp, but that does not mean Eli Manning has to worry about losing his starting job prior to Week 1.

Jones, whom the Giants selected with the sixth overall pick in the draft, has drawn praise from several coaches, teammates and members of the media. Despite that, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Friday that the rookie is not in a true quarterback battle with Manning.

From Inside Training Camp: Eli Manning is the #Giants starter and when Daniel Jones has to play, he‘ll be ready. … but Jones has been even better than the team imagined, thus far. pic.twitter.com/z7OzhME2ct

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2019

“Eli’s going to start and when it’s Daniel Jones’ turn, he will be ready,” Rapoport said. “It doesn’t even really seem to me, from people I’ve spoken with, that it’s particularly close as far as a quarterback battle.”

If Jones continues to impress, it will be interesting to see how long that lasts. Manning’s skills have rapidly declined in recent years, and the Giants are dealing with a rash of injuries already at the wide receiver position. They also traded Odell Beckham Jr., so Manning could have an even tougher time making plays down the field.

The Giants were ridiculed for picking Jones so high in the draft, but head coach Pat Shurmur said last week that the former Duke star has exceeded expectations. If the team come out of the gate slow, the pressure is going to mount to give the rookie a shot.