Ryan Nassib

Giants backup quarterback Ryan Nassib has looked good this spring.

(Amanda Marzullo | NJ Advance Media)

EAST RUTHERFORD - The intrigue of the unknown endures with the quarterback who has become an expert on dissecting plays on the sideline iPad. It has been three years and the Giants still don't know what they have in quarterback Ryan Nassib other than a long-term backup.

The indestructible Eli Manning won't allow the true evaluation period to begin. It's not Manning's fault. He should be lauded for the durability that has allowed him to start all 48 games since Nassib was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Syracuse.

But the in-season inactivity hasn't served Nassib well. His future has been left twisting in the wind. He's collected cobwebs on the sidelines during the games that counts.

The circumstances of having a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback that never gets injured with a young quarterback who needs game experience has left Nassib in an uncertain position. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and appears vastly improved in practices over the past two seasons. But until he receives significant playing time in a real game, nobody knows for sure how he will react when the opportunity does arrive.

"It's something you can't really think about," Nassib said, shrugging off a question he's been asked now for the better part of three years. "When the time comes, all I have to do is make sure I'm ready for it."

Is he finally ready? And what do the Giants really have in Ryan Nassib? These are difficult questions, ones that might not have an answer no matter how many practices and preseason games he logs.

My first full offseason covering the Giants was in 2014. The Giants were installing a new offense under then-offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Nassib barely looked the role of professional quarterback. Every day there were multiple interceptions, too many passes thrown high and over receivers' heads.

Looking out onto the practice field two years later, it's a completely different picture. It's much harder to differentiate Manning from Nassib. They roll in and out, pepper strikes around the field and make decisive decisions. Their footwork is fluid and command of the offense impressive.

The biggest difference may be that the younger Nassib throws a harder ball and can do significantly more damage on the move, especially rolling out to the right. He notices a difference.

"Just seeing things a little bit better," Nassib said Wednesday after another solid afternoon of work at organized team activities. "There are definitely some things I miss. Definitely some things I need to clean up on, but my mind and thought process is starting to slow down which makes me play faster."

After three years in the league, it should. He's no longer a rookie or learning a new system.

But with no starts, five games and 10 total pass attempts in three seasons, Nassib doesn't look at himself as an experienced player. His 90-percent career completion percentage is hollow. He's still an unproven youngster.

"I wouldn't consider myself [a veteran]," he said. "It's different. I never really thought of myself as either or, because really if you start viewing yourself as a veteran it starts to lead toward complacency, a little bit.

"I try to think I'm a young guy, try to stay out there, keep fighting and stay hungry."

But would anybody view him as a potential starter with such limited tape available at the NFL level? It's the dilemma that clouds his future.

Even the Giants can't be certain if Nassib will stick around or if he's even the answer when Manning's career eventually comes to a close. Manning is 35 years old with another four seasons left on his contract. Nassib is 26 and his quarterback clock is ticking. Waiting to get on the field until he's 30 is far from ideal.

Would Nassib really want to wait for Manning's decline if there were an opportunity to compete for a starting job elsewhere? He's not going to allow himself to go there.

"It's something if I take care of in the meeting room and on the field, all that stuff will work out," Nassib said "That's my only focus."

The only inevitability is that Nassib will get a chance to play, whether it's with the Giants or not. Quarterbacks are valuable commodities, and he's done enough in the past two preseasons (seven touchdown passes, no interceptions) to at least provide intrigue. And intrigue is gold for quarterbacks.Matt Cassel and Brock Osweiler as recent examples. They received lucrative contracts despite minimal accomplishments.

The untrained eye can see that Nassib is light-years ahead of where he was at this point two years ago when McAdoo arrived with the new Giants offense. He's prepared for the moment he's been waiting for his entire life. It could come this year or next. It could come at any moment. It would be a waste to be ill-prepared.

"It's something you can't really think about," Nassib said. "When the time comes, all I have to do is make sure I'm ready for it."

Only then will it be known what kind of quarterback the Giants had sitting behind Manning all those years. In the meantime, he's making significant progress in practice.

Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.