The New York Giants have only played three games this season, but in a span of just a couple of weeks, their quarterback position has undergone drastic changes. With Jaxson Dart out for the rest of the season after suffering a severe knee injury, Jameis Winston has been tabbed the team’s new starter for the time being.
In an effort to add more depth at this position, the Giants swung a trade with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week for J.J. McCarthy, with the idea being that he will back up Winston under center moving forward. However, that plan doesn’t appear to be going into effect right away, as New York made an eye-opening move involving its third-string quarterback, Jake Haener, ahead of its return to the field.
Giants Elevate Jake Haener From Practice Squad to Active Roster
Losing Dart, who appeared to be set to take a step towards superstardom during his brief action this season, is a big blow for the Giants. Winston can hold things down for the time being, but he hasn’t been particularly great so far for New York, leading it to swing a trade for McCarthy.
The No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy battled injuries and inconsistent play during his time with Minnesota. Things got so bad that the Vikings were willing to just give him to the Giants, as they only got a 2027 fifth-round pick back in exchange for his services. McCarthy still has upside, though, and as Winston’s true backup, there’s a decent shot he will find his way onto the field at some point this year.
Since getting acquired by New York, McCarthy has been working on picking up his new team’s playbook. The sense of urgency hasn’t been too high, as McCarthy won’t be playing in Week 4, so long as Winston is healthy. Even if something were to happen to Winston, though, it doesn’t seem like McCarthy would play right away, as the team elevated Haener from the practice squad to the active roster, seemingly indicating that he will be the backup quarterback for this contest.
The Giants have elevated QB Jake Haener from the practice squad for tomorrow’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, an indication he’s still the backup to Jameis Winston as J.J. McCarthy gets acclimated to his new team,” Mike Garafolo of NFL Network shared in a post on X.
J.J. McCarthy Still Getting Acclimated to the Giants After Big Trade
While McCarthy has quite a bit of potential, he is still a very raw prospect in a sense. As a result, the Giants have to be careful when it comes to their handling of his development. We just saw the Vikings completely fumble the ball with McCarthy, and while the former first-rounder is at fault as well when it comes to his struggles, it’s clear that things need to be right on offense in order for him to succeed.
Playing just a couple of days after getting picked up in a trade isn’t exactly the sort of perfect setup McCarthy needs, which is why Haener will find his way back on the active roster for this week at least after getting relegated to the practice squad in order to make room for the team’s new quarterback. New York will square off against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Giants Make Unexpected Week 4 Quarterback Decision After J.J. McCarthy Trade