The New York Giants fell to 1-5 after a SNF loss to the Buffalo Bills. And with starting quarterback Daniel Jones still dealing with a neck injury, the team appears to be moving towards adding another quarterback.
Veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor played servicably against the Bills on Sunday night, even having the offense look extremely competent at times.
However, the depth behind him is extremely thin, with only rookie quarterback Tommy Devito, who was just called up from the practice squad, on the roster.
With this in mind, the Giants worked out veteran quarterback Matt Barkley and third-year quarterback Ian Book on Monday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
With Daniel Jones continuing to deal with a neck injury, the #Giants worked out QBs Matt Barkley and Ian Book, along with WR Damiere Byrd, per the wire.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2023
Of these options, Barkley appears to make the most sense for the Giants as a backup quarterback behind Taylor.
Barkley has been in the NFL since 2013, and also has experience with Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Barkley and Daboll were notably together for three seasons while Daboll was the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills.
However, it has been quite some time since Barkley has seen action in the NFL. His last regular season snap came in the 2020 season with the Bills.
Meanwhile, Ian Book is perhaps the more intriguing option. He is a far more mobile quarterback than Barkley, which may fit the Giants offense better. However, he has only ever played in one regular season game, which came in 2021.
It’s obviously a worst-case scenario for the Giants to have either of these players on the field in a regular season game. That being said, the Giants have allowed the second-most sacks of any team in the NFL this season, so whoever the Giants do sign out of the two should be prepared to potentially take the field.
