Brian Daboll May Get Tired of Russell Wilson Quickly as Bold QB Decision Predicted For Giants

In New York Giants lore, the QB room has seen more drama than a Broadway show. With a new season on the horizon, the spotlight turns to Russell Wilson, a former Super Bowl champ and now the team’s proclaimed starter. But a ghost from the recent past, rookie Jaxson Dart, looms large. Dart could rewrite the Giants’ 2025 script sooner than anyone expects. Could head coach Brian Daboll pull the plug on Wilson quickly if early stumbles arise? Analysts believe that it could. 

The Giants have loudly declared Russell Wilson the starter since the draft. The plan for Dart is to develop behind the veterans and eventually take the reins. Yet, as Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes, this resembles the 2019 situation where Eli Manning was the unquestioned franchise icon. That is, until Daniel Jones took over after two lost games. “Manning was a franchise icon with far more equity than Wilson, who is on his fourth team in five years,” Duggan notes. He also drops a verdict that if the Giants are off to a rocky start, we could see Dart take over by Week 5. “If the Giants stumble against a killer schedule, they won’t wait long to replace Wilson with Dart, who looked ready in the preseason.” 

Dart’s preseason performance suggests he’s not just a placeholder. Dart has completed 68% of his passes for 3 TDs, going 32-of-47 with zero picks. He has also notably rushed 6 times for a total of 52 yards and a touchdown. The rookie has flashed a poise that’s difficult to ignore, and his readiness now puts pressure on an offense desperate for consistency. HC Daboll’s reputation is already solidified, mentoring Josh Allen back when he was the Bills’ OC. He’s shown little patience for QBs who don’t grasp his offense quickly. The Giants could be navigating the shift from veteran to rookie amid a brutal slate of opponents, making early results critical. 

Interestingly, last season saw many rookie QBs starting games in their first year. Names like Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. come to mind. Could Jaxson Dart follow a similar path in his rookie campaign? Russell Wilson’s trajectory has been bumpy. Once a surefire champion QB, recent years have seen him struggle with consistency and adapting to new systems. With the Giants, his tendency to hold on to the ball too long, leading to sacks and stalled drives, could undermine his role further. The offensive line, still finding its rhythm, cannot afford extra pressure, and this flaw might hasten Daboll’s decision if the offense falters under Wilson.

This underlying issue, Wilson’s sack tendency, is more than a footnote. It’s a tactical challenge that could accelerate Dart’s emergence and shape the Giants’ offensive identity even sooner. 

Russell Wilson’s Achilles heel could make the Giants pivot early

Russell Wilson’s history of taking sacks rather than throwing the ball away has been well-documented. Over the course of his 13-year NFL career, he has received a whopping total of 560 sacks. There’s also the matter of his age. As Garrett Podell recently noted, “He’ll be 37 this year. … Wilson’s absorbed 560 sacks in his 13-year career. That’s far and away the most in NFL history through a player’s first 13 seasons. – Wilson’s just taken too many hits at this point to really kind of maintain any consistency through the bulk of the season.” 

There’s also the matter of the offense as a whole. The Giants’ OL has a tendency to struggle and give openings to opponents. They ranked 3rd worst in pass-blocking last season, as per PFF. The year before, in 2023, they allowed a total of 85 sacks. With the pocket collapsing more often, every lost yard and disrupted rhythm builds pressure on Wilson, on Daboll, and on the entire offense. If Dart’s mobility and quick decision-making promise fewer sacks, the calculus to switch QBs grows sharper as losses mount.

Brian Daboll now finds himself balancing a proven veteran against a rising rookie hungry to prove he belongs. If Wilson’s old habits resurface and the team struggles early, history and logic suggest Dart will get his chance, much like Daniel Jones before him. For the Giants, this pivotal change could define the team’s trajectory for years. When patience runs thin, Daboll’s boldness might just change the story, and the season, for Big Blue. The question is, will he?