EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- We are 16 starts into the Daniel Jones era after Sunday's Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. That's a full seasons' worth of data, tape and information on the New York Giants quarterback.

It's a decent sample size that hasn't eliminated many of the doubters. It hasn't convinced all of them Jones is destined for greatness, either.

His 16 starts have produced hope, but don't seem to have provided any sort of definitive answer on whether he will be the next Eli Manning or Dave Brown.

The numbers say: 372 of 604 passing for 3,899 yards with a 61.6% completion percentage, 26 TDs, 17 INTs, 20 fumbles, 12 lost and two rushing touchdowns in 16 starts.

That is pretty good, aside from 28 total touchdowns compared to 29 turnovers and a 3-13 record. Based on statistics alone (granted the game has evolved in the past 15 years), it's better than what Manning produced in his first 16 starts.

But the numbers only say so much. Jones is tied for 23rd out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks with a 53.6 QBR since he became the starter. The player he was selected ahead of, the recently-benched Dwayne Haskins Jr. of the Washington Football Team, is dead last at 29.0.

That might make the Giants feel better about their decision to select Jones No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL draft. And Jones is closer through 16 starts to selling his critics he's a bonafide franchise quarterback than being benched by the Giants.

"He will be more than fine. He is not the problem," said a coach who has worked extensively with quarterbacks throughout his career.

That same coach saw a tough, smart, athletic quarterback with a strong work ethic and great character. There is undoubtedly a lot to like there, just as there is with the film seemingly every week.

ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, originally a strong critic of Jones being selected so high in the draft, now views him as having checked a lot of boxes. He sees all the physical tools, including the arm strength. He believes the accuracy, toughness, mental aspect and ability to make plays outside the X's and O's are there as well.

"I'm closer than when they drafted him," Orlovsky said of being sold on Jones' long-term prospects. "For a lot of the necessary traits, he's got them. He's proven a lot of the question marks."

Orlovsky still has concerns in two areas -- whether Jones is good enough to create explosive plays and instinctual and reactionary enough in the heat of the game. Locking in on his first read has been a noticeable problem.

Jones is well aware of the issue.

"When to get the ball out of my hand, it's something I'm continuing to work on and improve," the second-year quarterback said. "But I certainly feel like I've improved and made a lot of progress up to the this point."

Jones, despite his ability to run (416 yards rushing), also hasn't had much success throwing outside of the pocket. He moves to run rather than moving to throw. This is the opposite of how some of the league's top quarterbacks -- Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers -- operate. It's another area the Giants are hoping that Jones can improve.

Jones is 8-of-17 passing for 40 yards with no touchdown passes and two interceptions outside the pocket this season. He's completed just 41.7% of his passes outside the pocket in his 16 starts.

Some of that can be attributed to the Giants' schemes and the constant pressure. Jones has been sacked 52 times since he became the starter, tied for most in the NFL with Atlanta's Matt Ryan during that span.

"The things that flash are the athleticism. He looks like he's got promise," an NFL executive said. "But the things that give you pause are that he turns the ball over and he does kind of hold the ball a bit, which kind of leads to some of the pressure. I also wouldn't say he's being protected all that well."

Not having running back Saquon Barkley also hurts. Everyone agrees on that front. The Giants no longer have a player that forces opposing defenses to formulate a special plan each week to limit his production. Jones' supporting cast as a whole, at the moment, isn't especially strong.

These might sound like excuses, but the problems are real. The Giants (0-4) are averaging 11.8 points per game for reasons aside from the quarterback.

But while Washington appears to have given up on Haskins, the Giants aren't anywhere near there with Jones.

"Look, if you're asking if Daniel is our quarterback, Daniel is our quarterback. That's who we're playing with. We support him, we have a lot of confidence in him, we have faith in him," coach Joe Judge said. "Again, he's a young guy who's developing. We've seen a lot of progress from him day to day. Are there things he needs to correct and clean up, and can we do a better job as coaches and staff to put him in the right situations? Absolutely. But in terms of that blanket statement, I don't know if there's ever a pinpoint in terms of what's the threshold for saying some guy is your guy for whatever. But Daniel is our quarterback."

Jones will at least have until the end of this season. And unless something goes very wrong, he will be their quarterback moving forward.

But if the Giants somehow end up with the No. 1 overall pick and a shot at Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, then who knows how it shakes out. They would be foolish at that point not to do their due diligence.

Still, there are enough valid excuses and reasons for optimism to believe Jones is their guy -- now and for the future.

"I think two years, two coaches, COVID offseason, I'm so far away from that conversation," Orlovsky said. "I'm so far away from going, 'Can he clean it up or are we giving him enough time?'"

He's shown enough in 16 games to at least provide hope.