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The New York Giants drafted what they hope is their quarterback of the future in the first round this spring, moving back up in the draft to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart at No. 25 overall. Dart will pair with No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter to form one of the most talented and intriguing rookie classes in the NFL.
While Carter is already wrecking opposing offensive lines in the preseason and should be one of the best players on the field for the G-Men right away this fall, fans may have to wait a little bit longer to see Dart in action for the first time in regular season action.
The Giants brought in both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston this offseason. While Winston is buried behind Dart on the current depth chart, Brian Daboll and company are rolling with Wilson as the starting quarterback to begin the regular season. However, it would be no surprise to see Dart inserted as the starter at some point during the season.
Dart has been one of the standouts of the preseason through two games, not just in the Big Apple but in the entire NFL. In his first two games of NFL action, Dart has completed 26-of-35 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns.
The Giants play in the very difficult NFC East division, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys all projected to compete for a playoff spot this season. New York has a very good defensive line and could have a strong defense overall, but it would be a surprise if it is on the level of its peers in the division barring injury.
If the G-Men do end up falling out of playoff contention, the calls for Dart to enter the lineup as the starter will only get louder and louder. But when will the move be made?
Jaxson Dart could take over for Russell Wilson in Week 7
Depending on how the season goes for the Giants, there are two logical points where Daboll and the Giants could look to make the switch to their rookie quarterback, who has looked excellent so far in the preseason.
If the season goes poorly for the Giants at the start of the year, Dart could take over for Wilson in Week 7 when the Giants take on the Denver Broncos.
Now, you may be thinking that it would be a bad idea to debut your rookie quarterback against a defense that has a chance to be the very best unit in football. That is fair! It would certainly be a big challenge for Dart to start his career against Vance Joseph, Patrick Surtain II and the Broncos.
However, the Giants will be coming off of a Thursday night game in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles, so Daboll and his staff would have a couple of extra days to get the rookie quarterback ready to go for the afternoon tilt in the Mile High City.
In this case, Dart's second start would come against the Eagles in Week 8. While Philadelphia is also going to have a very good defense led by Vic Fangio, it will be a familiar game plan for the young quarterback after just having played the divisional rivals back in Week 6.
The Giants open the season with divisional games against the Commanders and Cowboys before contests against the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, so there is a good chance that they will be either 0-4 or 1-3 by that point. If things are spiraling out of control, Daboll could make the quarterback switch early on.
Daboll could also wait until Week 13 to play Dart
Let's say the Giants are hanging around in the division and are relevant in the wild card race during the first part of the season. Obviously, New York would continue to roll with Wilson under center in that case until the wheels fall off. However, Week 13 presents another opportunity to put Dart out there and see what he's got.
Coming off of a challenging Week 12 clash against the Detroit Lions, the Giants will head to Foxborough for a Monday Night Football clash against the New England Patriots. The later game gives Dart an extra day to prepare for his first start, and the Patriots present a defense that doesn't have a ton of talent and would allow the Ole Miss product to work comfortably in his debut.
Following that Patriots game, the Giants have their Week 14 bye. Daboll would be able to sit Dart down, go over what went right and wrong in his debut and have two weeks to prepare for a Week 15 tilt with the Commanders. Dart would then get four games after the bye to build some experience and confidence as the season winds down.
The Giants have games against the Packers and Lions coming into that Week 13 game against New England, so it's easy to see a world where things go south for Wilson against two of the NFC's best teams. That could be what finally tips it over the edge and makes Daboll make the change.
