Jaxson Dart capped off a promising preseason tonight. While Brian Daboll continues to reaffirm Russell Wilson‘s starter status, calls for the rookie to receive the call will be plentiful in the coming weeks.
While Daboll has (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan) labeled Dart as developing and Wilson his starter, Jameis Winston is also rostered. The Giants gave Winston a two-year, $8MM deal days before signing Wilson. Some in the team’s building preferred Winston to Wilson during free agency. But the former No. 1 overall pick hovers in a gray area for now, making it worth wondering if the Giants would consider moving on early.
Assistant GM Brandon Brown attempted to shoot that down, saying this week (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) Winston is “a New York Giant” and noted the 11th-year passer wants to stay. This reinforces what NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo had heard about this situation previously. Moving past some early-career off-field trouble, Winston has become something of a character as he has traveled the league. The 2024 Browns fill-in drew interest from the 49ers and Chargers on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. It took until March 21 for Winston to sign, however.
The Giants having both Winston and Wilson would stand to represent overkill behind Dart (if/once the rookie takes over this year), though the team’s QB reserves obviously became an issue a few times this decade. It would be perhaps a slight surprise if all three of New York’s top passers remained on the roster by season’s end — especially if Dart proves ready by then. Winston being signed to a two-year deal would give the Giants a multiyear Dart backup and/or a player to reevaluate trading in 2026.
A report earlier this month pegged the Giants in being OK leaving the first-round rookie on the bench for the full season. Based on the rate at which Round 1 QBs play as rookies (and considering Wilson’s post-Seattle struggles), it would be shocking if Dart did not play this season. After a 32-for-47, 372-yard, three-touchdown preseason, the Ole Miss product certainly helped his cause for early-season playing time. Would that inevitable promotion then move Wilson, rather than Winston, to the trade block?
An unquestioned starter between beating out Matt Flynn in 2012 and being benched in Week 17 of the 2023 season, Wilson will generate an interesting Hall of Fame debate down the road. He is tied to a one-year, $10.5MM deal ($10MM guaranteed). The Giants also face the NFL’s toughest schedule, and that docket includes road games against the Commanders and Cowboys before Chiefs and Chargers home tilts. Although a reprieve (via the Saints) comes in Week 5, the Giants go Eagles-Broncos-Eagles after that.
It is possible the team will want Wilson to navigate that schedule early, but with Daboll and GM Joe Schoen on hot seats, an understandable temptation to play the QB they drafted will probably emerge. With Tommy DeVito perhaps headed for the practice squad (or potentially elsewhere) next week, how the Giants proceed with Wilson and Winston before the November 4 deadline will be an interesting QB storyline to monitor. Wilson has changed teams thrice since 2022; how likely is it that he moves again before season’s end?
Dart needs time to develop, period. All these teams that rush first round rookie QB’S kills me.Let them sit and learn for heaven sakes! It takes at least 2 years. Wilson and Winston can hold down the fort for this season…patience!
The QB developmental approach was the norm for decades but GMs and HCs don’t have the luxury of exercising patience in this era. In the Giants case Schoen and Daboll’s jobs are probably on life support as it is so they don’t have another 2 years to muddle along with Wilson or Winston.
Hard to convince coaching staffs and fan bases of that when they look at Jayden Daniels’ rookie season. It becomes particularly difficult with some owners.
Show them tape of Jamarcus Russell then. That should temper expectations.
This is the same reason that team after team chases after the OC/DC that are going to be the next Sean McVay and end up with one of the many failed HCs. For every absolute bust there is a collection of meh and studs.
For every Jayden Daniels, there are 30 QBs that were thrown out there after being drafted and failed.
While not wrong, the reward of finding the stud becomes to enticing. 2024 Bryce Young was better than rookie Byrce Young while 2024 CJ Stroud was a disappointment compared to rookie CJ Stroud. We are about to find out if 2024 was an evolution or a fluke for Sam Darnold and the same can be said for Jayden Daniels. This will be a big year for Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson. Success for both is projected as a lock, let’s see what happens.
Sometimes a player gets stuck on the wrong team and the coaching/gm carousel kills any possibility of shining.
I’ll disagree. You can’t evaluate a college QBs ability to play in the NFL until they play in the NFL. They can have all the athletism in the world, but the biggest difference is the speed of the game and processing the information on a passing play to make an accurate throw in 2.5 seconds or less. Coaches can’t fix that. I’ll throw out Justin Fields or Mitch Trubisky. Great atheletes, but they can’t process a play quickly and never will, no matter what team they’re on.
No one gives Bill Belichick credit for Tom Brady or Andy Reid for Mahommes, but exceptions are Shanahan in SF who finds system QBs to fit his system, and now O’Connell to a degree with Darnold. Darnold showed he still melts down under pressure. Seems like that cant be fixed even if the ghosts of George Halas, Hank Stram, Bill Parcells, and Tom Landry coached him.
Playing QB in the NFL is still playing QB. Hike the ball, read the defense, and throw it. Difference is do it in 2.5 seconds or less, and consistently, week after week, against top level competition.
Something tells me the Giants are going to trade or release Tommy DeVito. I know, Giants lit it up all throughout August and “Tommy Cutlets” looked great each time out, but he’s a folk hero for Giants fans as a local boy who made good.
I think you’re right. The Giants roster is bad enough that they cannot afford to have four QBs on it.
Who has a higher trade value to get a better draft pick? Winston or Devito. Trade one keep the other. Seems like a simple solution
I hope they hold onto Winston. He’s on a good deal and it’s for 2 years. If they trade him, then Wilson will gets hurt Dart gets thrown into the fire early. If they are 2-6 or 1-7 by the end of Oct then maybe trade Wilson instead since he’s on a 1 year deal.