After an 0-3 start and two discouraging performances from quarterback Russell Wilson, the Giants have decided it's time to bench the veteran for rookie Jaxson Dart, who they traded up to draft this past April.
The Giants are looking to spark an offense that largely struggled behind Wilson in losses to the Commanders and Chiefs, but the question will be if they're putting Dart in a position to succeed.
“If you kind of look at the history of football, it hasn’t always served people well to just throw people in the fire,” Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton said two weeks ago, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic. “We believe [Dart is] a good football player, but at the same time, this league is hard, this league is tough, and you see players get chewed up and spit out all the time by this league, which is something I would never want to happen to him.”
While it would be hard to continue to start Wilson after his performance against the Chiefs on Sunday, particularly in the red zone during the final minutes of the game, it's also not easy for a rookie to step into this position.
Giants coach Brian Daboll is on the hot seat, and Dart seemingly is his last hope to save his job. The Giants have the hardest schedule in football this year, and Dart will face a Chargers defense that is top 10 in nearly every category and led by creative defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Had the Giants even waited a week, Dart could have faced a winless Saints team in his first start.
The Giants clearly like and believe in Dart, but the team doesn't have a great track record in helping their players excel as of late. It's no coincidence that Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are doing much better in their next steps than in New York. Even outside of the Giants, many quarterbacks—including Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Geno Smith—have fared better away from the team that drafted them. The Giants can't let Dart have the same fate.
Ideally, the Giants will give Dart some easy completions to get into a rhythm in his first action, like they did for him in the preseason this summer. Facing the Chargers' defense will be much tougher than backups in preseason, but since the Giants are starting Dart, it's on them to set him up to succeed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giants WR Recently Voiced Key Concern About Team Turning to Jaxson Dart Too Soon.
