Daniel Jones will get “every opportunity” to show Giants he is healthy enough to play vs. Arizona

Will quarterback Daniel Jones be back in the lineup next Sunday when the New York Giants, seeking their fifth straight victory, host the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m. ET)? Giants coach Joe Judge said Monday the team will give him “every opportunity” to prove that he is capable after missing Sunday’s victory over the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury.

“We’re going to give him every opportunity to go on the practice field this week and show that he can defend himself on the field properly,” Judge said. “If that’s the case, then we obviously want him to play. But we’re going to make sure we do the right thing by him.

“Look, I had to make the decision this week to go ahead and hold him out. He was a little disappointed because he’s a competitive guy. But we have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to get on the field. We’ll see how he looks in there, and we’ll make the best decision for him going forward.”

Jones suffered the hamstring injury Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Colt McCoy finished that game and played Sunday against Seattle.

The 5-7 Giants have won four straight. They are currently 2.5-point underdogs against the 6-6 Cardinals. Jones’ presence would, obviously be a boost for the NFC East-leading Giants.

Judge said he will use practice this week to make sure Jones has enough mobility to safely navigate the pocket.

“When there’s pressure in the pocket, can he sidestep, can he step up? If he has to leave the pocket and scramble, if there’s a gap open for him to go ahead and tuck that ball and run to get a first down, are these things we’re okay with him doing and we’re confident that he’s going to go out there and do it without getting hurt worse,” Judge said. “We talk about defending himself, I want to make sure that when his natural instincts kick in as a player, that he’s not limited somehow physically or someone has an advantage over him on the field. That’s just not fair for us to do.

“These are great athletes on the field, they’re playing very aggressive, and he’s at the toughest position in terms of holding the ball every play and everybody trying to take your head off. He has to be able to have some kind of mobility. Just sidestep the hit, step up in the pocket, escape pressure and throw the ball away. I have to make sure we do the right thing by him of making sure we don’t put him out there on the field where he can’t do that, he’s just a sitting duck.”