New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll named Jaxson Dart the starting Quarterback on Monday, after a wildly inconsistent start to the season from Russell Wilson. Wilson combined for 328 yards and 2 interceptions in Weeks 1 and 3, while putting up an explosive 450 yards and 3 touchdowns (albeit with a bad OT interception) in a Week 2 loss. With the Giants 0-3 and Daboll’s job hanging in the balance, New York pivoted to rookie #25 overall pick Jaxson Dart.
This won’t be Dart’s first time seeing the field for New York, as Daboll included a small package of plays for him in the first 3 games, but it will be his first significant snaps. Many worry that the Giants' subpar supporting cast (outside of Malik Nabers) could hinder Dart’s development. In contrast, others argue that he will eventually have to take the field for them, despite the less-than-ideal state of the roster.
For me, this feels like a desperate attempt for Daboll to save his job. Clearly, the status quo will have him gone by sometime midseason, so he needs the team to show some promise if he wants to make his case to GM Joe Schoen, who is teetering on the edge as well. If the young offensive core of Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo/Tyrone Tracy Jr., Malik Nabers, and Wandale Robinson can prove something in the next month or two, Daboll could get to ride through with them.
As for Wilson, it’s tough to say where he goes from here. The contract he signed last offseason was for just one year, so if he decides to continue his career, Wilson will hit free agency in March for the third straight offseason, this time likely as a high-end backup candidate. In my opinion, the Giants' problems stretched well beyond him, and I think we will realize that after just a couple of weeks of Dart. The offensive line play was truly depressing. Just watch their first drive of their game against the Cowboys - a drive where the Giants started around their own 30, Wilson threw for nearly 90 yards, and New York settled for a 35-yard field goal. Penalties, mostly on the offensive line, have plagued the team for 3 weeks. In that week 2 game, Wilson was unbelievably successful going downfield, but he looked like a completely different player in his other two games. For Daboll, the inconsistency just wasn’t working, and he will now have to trust the rookie out of Ole Miss with his job in peril.
Eli Knight
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