Jaxson Dart is officially QB1 for the New York Giants, and head coach Brian Daboll is hopeful this shot will hit its mark.
Big Blue informed its quarterback room of the switch, making the 22-year-old rookie quarterback the starter for Week 4 against the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
Russell Wilson, the 36-year-old former Super Bowl winner, will serve as the backup.
The switch comes after Wilson struggled to generate much in the Giants’ 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 160 yards and two interceptions, which was a significant letdown from the promise he showed in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, when he passed for 450 yards and three scores.
His debut in blue was similar to that of Week 3, as he was held to just 168 yards in the season opener against the Washington Commanders. He failed to throw a touchdown in two of his first three starts.
With the Giants in an 0-3 hole to start the 2025 season, Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are not waiting long to make the switch, considering their jobs are on the line this season after they built a 3-14 disaster last year.
Dart wowwed in preseason completing 32 of 47 attempts for 372 yards and four total touchdowns. He had appeared in three snaps in each of the last two weeks, though it was used in a special package to aid the run game in short-yardage situations.
He has yet to attempt a pass in a regular season game, which obviously will change on Sunday against a Chargers team that has a quarterback in Justin Herbert making an early and bold claim for MVP consideration.
It appears that Dart is the key to Daboll and Schoen saving their jobs. If the Ole Miss product is able to revitalize the Giants like Jayden Daniels has with the Washington Commanders, there is hope for the braintrust, yet.
Granted, past transgressions are looking more and more calamitous. After letting Saquon Barkley walk in free agency, where he rushed for 2,000 yards and won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, Daboll and Schoen cut ties with Daniel Jones, who now looks like a superstar with the 3-0 Indianapolis Colts.
For their sakes, Dart has to be a bullseye. Anything less, and they’re hitting the bricks.
