Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson entered the New York Giants’ summer break comfortably atop the depth chart ahead of rookie Jaxson Dart, backup Jameis Winston and fourth-choice option Tommy DeVito.
That said, three-time Super Bowl champion and current NFL analyst Mark Schlereth believes that Giants head coach Brian Daboll should take a different approach.
“The Giants should cut Russell Wilson and start Jaxson Dart,” Schlereth said during a recent appearance on the FS1 “Breakfast Ball” program, as shared by Ryan Novozinsky of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.
Schlereth then noted how the Denver Broncos moved on from Wilson after he endured more lows than highs across two seasons with that organization. Denver later made signal-caller Bo Nix the 12th overall pick of the 2024 draft, and he guided the club to a playoff berth as a rookie.
“You start your rookie and you go with the growing pains and you understand that you’re not going to the playoffs right now,” Schlereth added. “You do have a great defense, which is one of the best things you can give a young quarterback is a great defense. I think it’s just time to rip off the Band-Aid and say, ‘Jaxson Dart, you’re our guy.'”
For what it’s worth, there’s no indication that either Daboll or general manager Joe Schoen feels any pressure to have Dart face live defenses in meaningful games ahead of schedule. While Connor Hughes of SNY mentioned on June 18 that he feels “Dart could take the field and not be a liability or detriment to those around him,” the first-year pro acknowledged during New York’s mandatory minicamp that he needs to dive into the playbook “a lot more” over the next couple of months.
As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Wilson as a -1400 betting favorite to start against Washington on Sept. 7 and had Dart as a +1060 underdog to win the Week 1 QB1 gig.
Such odds suggest it’s practically a guarantee that a healthy Wilson will be on the Big Blue roster and in the lineup on the first Sunday afternoon of September.
