Why Giants are starting Jameis Winston for Jaxson Dart injury, not Russell Wilson

Staff Writer
Why Giants are starting Jameis Winston for Jaxson Dart injury, not Russell Wilson image

The New York Giants are going with a bit of a surprise move for Week 11.

They won't have quarterback Jaxson Dart due to a concussion. But with the rookie injured, it won't be Russell Wilson getting the starting QB nod. It'll be Jameis Winston.

That's what multiple reports indicated on Wednesday morning.

It's unexpected just in the sense that Wilson has been ahead of Winston on the depth chart all season, both when he was starting and even now after Dart leapfrogged him. And when Dart went out hurt in Week 10, it was Wilson who came into the game.

MORE: The Brian Daboll firing is all about Jaxson Dart

Why are the Giants starting Jameis Winston, not Russell Wilson?

There are likely a couple of reasons the Giants are going with Winston over Wilson.

One is that Russ simply hasn't been that good in his action this season. He made three starts to begin the season, and two were quite bad. And in relief of Dart this past week, he struggled.

There's also likely an element of wanting to see what Winston still has in the tank. The Giants may view him as a more realistic long-term backup for Dart.

And then there's the matter of the rest of the offense. This is a 2-8 team not going anywhere, but interim head coach Mike Kafka will want to put a good product on the field that allows everyone to show the best versions of themselves.

If Winston is most capable of allowing his offensive teammates to succeed, then it'd be logical for the Giants to give him a shot here.

It's a nice opportunity for Winston, who likely didn't plan on being QB3 when he signed with the Giants this offseason. Now he gets a chance to start.

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