Russell Wilson Benching Already on the Table After Nightmare Giants Debut

It was a brutal day for New York Giants fans everywhere.

Russell Wilson’s Giants debut was a massive stinker. The 36-year-old washed up MVP had a nightmarish start to his season, completing just 17 of 37 passing attempts for 168 yards and no touchdowns. It was so atrocious that head coach Brian Daboll declined to commit to Wilson as his starting quarterback for Week 2 and beyond.

“Yeah, we’re just right here after a game,” Daboll said upon being asked if Wilson is still his starter. “We gotta do better around overall.”

Ever since Wilson’s final years with the Seattle Seahawks, he’s been an average quarterback at best. He completely lost his step. The Denver Broncos couldn’t get away from him and out of his contract soon enough. His latest season with the Pittsburgh Steelers was forgettable, and felt like they made it to the postseason in spite of their quarterback, not because of him.

Here’s the thing. The Giants are completely wasting their time every single time Wilson takes a practice or game rep.

It was a favorable idea to redshirt rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Ole Miss ran a very quarterback-friendly offense and the 22-year-old has an incredibly high ceiling that the Giants don’t want to sabotage.

But Dart is learning literally nothing if Wilson performs like this. What can you possibly gain from watching this? It’s the most uninspiring, sputtering style of football.

If Jameis Winston was quarterbacking the Giants, Dart could at least learn about complex downfield passing, which is something Winston excels at and sometimes he’s the absolute worst at. There’s still good and bad things to learn from Winston.

If Daboll made a quarterback change one game into the season, it would certainly feel like panic is settling in. For that reason alone, they probably will end up sticking with Wilson for just a bit longer. But the fact that a head coach won’t commit to his quarterback after just four quarters is pretty telling.

The Giants travel to Dallas this week for a showdown with the Cowboys on Sunday. Dak Prescott almost upset the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles during Week 1. They’ll be well rested after a long week. It’s hard to see a world where Wilson can perform any better than he did against the Washington Commanders in Week 1.

Elsewhere in the NFL’s opening week, former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones scorched the Miami Dolphins in Indianapolis. The Colts authored a 33-8 victory, with Jones throwing for 272 yards and a touchdown.

Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen need to hope and pray that Dart is the answer. Otherwise, everybody will just assume they have no clue what they are doing.