The offseason program is over. It’s officially summer break for the Giants.
That doesn’t mean this team is off your mind, though. We figured it would be a good time to open the mailbag and answer your questions as the team takes a few weeks off before getting back together for training camp.
Off we go …
When do you think we’ll see Jaxson Dart as the starting quarterback? – @ItsGiantsSZN
There’s nothing Dart can do to win the starting job out of training camp. There is no competition. Russell Wilson is the guy. I just find it so hard to see the Giants sticking with him if the beginning of the season goes as expected.
That schedule is absolutely brutal: Commanders, Cowboys, Chiefs, Chargers, Saints, Eagles, Broncos, Eagles, 49ers, Bears, Packers, Lions, Patriots … then a bye. There’s a very real chance the Giants start the year 2-7 or worse.
The seat underneath Brian Daboll will be scorching lava hot if that’s the case. He’ll go into self preservation mode. Wilson or Jameis Winston don’t save a job. The rookie quarterback Daboll hand picked playing well? That does.
The earliest I could see him starting is at home against the Chargers (Week 4). Los Angeles might not be as good as some believe. That would take a horrific first three games for New York, though. Dart would play the Chargers, then the Saints, who also might not be that great. Week 10 against the Bears is the other most logical situation.
He’d get Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit, then New England to begin his career. That’s not that bad of a gauntlet heading into the bye.
Were you in the building for Daniel Jones’ first minicamp? Do you see anything that makes you think Jaxson Dart will be better? – @BluntNewman
I was not, but I have seen plenty of rookie quarterbacks. Let me take a trip down memory lane of drafted guys: Bryce Petty (fourth round), Christian Hackenberg (second round), Sam Darnold (first round), James Morgan (fourth round) and Zach Wilson (first round). Suffice to say I have a very good grasp of what bad quarterbacks look like.
Dart does not have blow-you-away arm talent. It’s a good arm, not great. So there are things players like Wilson (who did have a very strong arm) or Darnold (a ridiculous athlete) did that Dart does not. The biggest difference between Dart and all of those other players, though, is his confidence. There’s this unwavering presence about him when he takes the field that is infectious. Stressing the word confidence. Not to be confused with arrogance. Wilson had the latter and it rubbed many the wrong way. Dart is the player people want to be around.
There have been impressive throws from Dart, but most of those other players (absent Petty and Hackenberg) had moments, too. It’s that presence when he’s on the field that is so unique. It’s a lame way to word it, but you can tell he’s a cool guy people want to be seen with.
What would they have to get back to consider trading Jameis Winston to the Saints? – @Soto22Enjoyer
It’s less about the package and more about Dart, in my opinion. They need to have wholesale organizational confidence that if something happens to Wilson, Dart can step in and be their quarterback. It’s not about being elite. It’s not about winning Rookie of the Year. It’s about the functional ability to run a version of their offense and not be a liability or detriment to the 10 others out there with him.
The moment Dart can do that, Winston doesn’t serve much of a purpose unless the Giants view him as the perfect player to be Dart’s backup next season.
Having watched OTAs and minicamp, Dart is not nearly as green as many believed. I didn’t come away thinking he’s ready to start or deserves to unseat Wilson. But, in my opinion, if Dart needed to play, he could.
A fifth-round pick would be more than enough return compensation in the above situation. A sixth-rounder is probably more likely. The Patriots got a fifth-rounder for Joe Milton and a seventh. The Falcons got a seventh-rounder for Taylor Heinicke (2024). The Jaguars got Mac Jones for a sixth-rounder (2024). The Cardinals got a sixth for Joshua Dobbs (2024). The Vikings got Nick Mullens from the Raiders for a seventh (2022).
That’s kind of the going rate for a veteran backup.
Who do you think will be the starting offensive line in Week 1? – @TheRealesOne
Andrew Thomas, Greg Van Roten, John Michael Schmitz, Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor. The longer Thomas isn’t visible, though, the more concerned I get for his availability to begin the year. He’ll almost assuredly begin camp on the PUP list. If he’s not off within a couple of weeks, the likelihood of Eluemunor moving to left tackle and James Hudson stepping in at right tackle becomes more likely.
Which position group is the biggest area of weakness heading into the season? – @Dool_75
It’s surprising because of the financial resources dumped into it, but the offensive line. They’re an OK group when healthy. The issue is the Giants are gambling a ton with the health of those guys.
Thomas, specifically, has missed 18 games the last two years. Forget staying healthy. Guys who have missed that much time aren’t usually the same that first year back. As has been the case the last couple of years, there is absolutely no reason you should feel confident in the offensive line holding up with an extended (or even brief) Thomas absence. Hudson does not look good. Josh Ezeudu is not a tackle (even though the Giants continue to force that). Marcus Mbow is a work in progress, developmental project.
The Giants’ defense could very well be a top-10 (or better) unit this year. They have that much talent on that side of the ball. They have a star receiver in Malik Nabers and average options behind him (Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson). Theo Johnson looks like a legit option at tight end. Their backfield is fine with Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary and Cam Skattebo. Wilson is Wilson. You know what he is at this point in his career.
The biggest piece in the offensive equation, though, is that offensive line. If they falter, so too will the entire group. I have some serious reservations about their ability to stay together a full season.
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