Giants may have to tap Jaxson Dart sooner than they thought

Well, the New York Giants' offseason re-tool did not have the debut it wanted. After making wholesale changes at quarterback, including bringing in starter Russell Wilson, the G-Men were still thumped by the Washington Commanders 21-6 in Week 1.

Wilson went 17-for-37, tossing for 169 yards and failing to find the end zone in his debut. It was a less-than-inspiring performance for the Super Bowl XLVIII champion, especially when expectations were rather low given the previous two seasons under Daniel Jones.

To be fair to Wilson, the Giants' offensive line was giving him absolutely no room to work with for most of the game. He was constantly under pressure and forced into low percentage shots downfield as a result.

Giants may need to break glass and deploy Jaxson Dart sooner than expected

Wilson did not inspire any confidence in Giants fans looking for any tangible difference in the offense compared to the last few seasons. Sunday's performance just looked like a lot more of the same, especially with the team failing to score a touchdown.

Head coach Brian Daboll has kept his cards close to his chest when it comes to the plans at quarterback this season. Rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart impressed mightily during the preseason, but Daboll made it clear Wilson would be the team's starter for the time being.

Dart earned his way into the QB2 role ahead of veteran Jameis Winston, which could indicate Daboll is prepared to break out his rookie to potentially save his job if things go south quickly to start the year. Typically, you'd expect the newbie to hit the field in December if the season was already unsalvageable. But New York could be forced to deploy Dart before Thanksgiving if there's no improvement.

Granted, the Giants' front line won't be eligible for full judgment until Andrew Thomas returns from foot surgery. But if they can't sustain any time for Wilson to complete passes for positive yardage, the risk of injury to New York's QB of the future may outweigh the need to yank Wilson, who only signed a one-year contract anyway.