Giants poised to turn to Jaxson Dart if Russell Wilson's struggles continue

The New York Giants say they are prepared to play rookie Jaxson Dart if circumstances force a change at quarterback, even as veteran Russell Wilson remains the Week 2 starter following a season-opening 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Wilson, 36, started his Giants tenure with a stat line that reflected a deeply unsettled performance — 17-of-37 passing for 168 yards — and coach Brian Daboll acknowledged the team must correct many facets of its offense ahead of a road game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Daboll has repeatedly declined to dwell on last week, but he left no doubt that Dart, the team's rookie backup, is being prepared to step in on short notice.

"I think you embrace challenge," Wilson said Wednesday after practice when asked about Dart's presence on the depth chart. "I don't think I run from challenges. I don't think I run from anything. I know how confident I am in myself, confident I am in the guys that we have. My confidence never blinks. I've been through everything. I've been through all the biggest highs there could be, been through a few lows, but at the same time I also know my confidence never wavers."

Wilson acknowledged his first outing in blue was far from his standard. "I didn't play good enough," he said. "You always want to play better. Whenever you don't win, you always feel like there's more to do." Observers noted Wilson appeared uncomfortable in the pocket early, losing the timing and rhythm quarterbacks need and often looking for pressure rather than keeping his sight lines downfield.

Daboll, who initially refrained from committing to a Week 2 starter in the immediate aftermath of the loss before naming Wilson his starter two days later, offered limited public breakdown of the performance. "Look, I'm not going to get too much into last week," Daboll said. "We're moving on to this week. We go through our tape on Monday. We make our corrections in all facets, and I expect him to come out here and have a good week."

Daboll was more detailed in outlining how the Giants are preparing Dart, who was elevated to the No. 2 quarterback and runs the scout team during practice. The coach described how Dart is given opportunities to simulate game-speed reps by running the opponent's offensive concepts and by lining up behind the starting offense for mechanics work and script review.

"You try to play that like a game the best you can with your timing, with your rhythm, with your eye control, with your mechanics, with when to take off, when not to take off," Daboll said. "You treat those scout-team reps, if you will, like game reps. And then when you're standing behind the offense when they're going, he's taking game reps on every play, along with [third-string] Jameis [Winston]. And they're back there 10 yards going through the mechanics, motions, shifts, protection calls, re-identifications. They're playing the game, not with the 10 other guys, but they're playing it behind the huddle and taking advantage of every opportunity they can."

Dart's role as the designated backup means he could be called on at any moment, and his weekly routine includes throwing to receivers after practice and meeting with Daboll to analyze scout-team work. Daboll said the preparation and the decision to elevate Dart signal readiness to use the rookie if game circumstances warrant it.

The Giants' offense must improve quickly. New York has not won at Dallas on the road since October 2015, and a second consecutive anemic performance would intensify scrutiny of Wilson's job security. Wilson pushed back against parsing coaches' word choice this week. "I don't look into syntax and diction," he said. "And all the little words somebody says or doesn't say."

Wilson's career résumé includes a Super Bowl championship and a long history of high-level play, but the combination of an early-season loss and an inexperienced backup waiting in the wings has heightened attention on how the Giants will manage the position. Daboll's approach — prepping Dart with game-like reps while publicly maintaining confidence in Wilson — keeps open the option of a switch but makes clear the team is trying to balance short-term results with deliberate preparation.

How the Giants perform Sunday in Dallas will likely determine whether Dart sees the field in meaningful game action this season's early stretch. Until then, Daboll has positioned the rookie to be ready and said his coaching staff will continue to evaluate both the starter's play and the team's overall offensive corrections.