The plan was to bring him along slowly, maybe even have him watch from the bench for an entire season, but the New York Giants are already changing the plan for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. It’s a change that brings bad news for veteran starter Russell Wilson ahead of Week 4’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Simply put, Wilson is out and Dart, the 25th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, is in for the visit of the undefeated AFC West outfit to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, September 28. That’s according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported the change on Tuesday, and also revealed Wilson will revert to the No. 2 QB role.
One other significant piece of housekeeping news was confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who revealed head coach Brian Daboll “has informed both QBs of the change.”
It’s an about turn from the Giants that felt inevitable once Daboll refused to commit to Wilson as his QB1 moving forward, following the 22-9 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3.
Russell Wilson Switch Was Inevitable for Giants
Wilson was defiant about calls for Dart after the debacle against the Chiefs, but a switch at football’s most important position already felt inevitable for the Giants. Daboll is a coach under significant pressure from ownership, so he needs a spark, something Wilson simply wasn’t providing.
Instead, the 36-year-old has produced only middling numbers at a high cost itemized by Schefter’s colleague Jordan Raanan: “3 games 3 losses 778 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs $10.5 million.”
Wilson has been inconsistent, awful against the Chiefs and the Washington Commanders in Week 1, either side of a deep ball bonanza against the Dallas Cowboys. That performance at AT&T Stadium was supposed to be a rebuttal to his critics, but Wilson regressed mightily against the Chiefs, leading to a turning point for Daboll.
As for the final deciding factor, Wilson’s “fourth down throwaway may have been it,” according to Rapoport. That fits with a trend explained by Austin Gayle of The Ringer, who detailed how “Against Washington in Week 1, he (Wilson) airmailed two passes and threw the ball away twice. Against Kansas City in Week 3, he somehow threw the ball away on first, third, and fourth down in the same series late in the fourth quarter—and was flagged for an intentional grounding penalty on the first-down throwaway.”
Gayle asserted those plays represent “the kind of futility that makes Wilson’s 450-yard, three-touchdown outburst against Dallas in Week 2 seem irrelevant. That game was the exception; this is the trend.”
Daboll obviously agrees, but he’s still rolling the dice on Dart’s raw athleticism making a positive difference. Especially when the first-year pro is now in line to face some of the toughest defenses in the league.
Jaxson Dart Faces Tough Start
There would be easier ways for Dart to graduate from running a special sub-package of plays to operating the entire offense, than facing the Chargers. They are the owners of one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses, ranking fourth in points and eighth for yards, per Pro Football Reference.
Dart can expect to see a myriad of coverage disguises and elaborate pressures from coordinator Jeff Minter’s unit, but even tougher challenges could lay ahead. That’s because the schedule is top-heavy with outstanding defenses the next few weeks, with Schefter referencing two games against NFC East rivals and defending Super Bowl champion the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the rugged Denver Broncos.
Eagles‘ DC Vic Fangio challenges quarterbacks to decipher rotating and densely-populated coverage shells. Meanwhile, the Broncos field reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, shutdown cornerback Pat Surtain, as well as dominant defensive tackle Zach Allen.
Dart will need help, the kind of help the Giants can provide by coming up with a better usage plan for star wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Giants Change Jaxson Dart Plan for Chargers in Week 4: Report