NFL Insider Drops Giants’ Jaxson Dart Bombshell After Week 1
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is committed to starting Russell Wilson at quarterback in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, but it sounds like big changes could be coming.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter suggests that Daboll could be nearing making a quarterback change, in favor of ascending first-round rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
“I think we start with the New York Giants,” Schefter said, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “The fact that Brian Daboll, the head coach, declined to commit to Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback after [Sunday’s] game, despite repeated chacnes to do so, the time to go to Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ rookie first-round draft pick is coming.
“We don’t know whether it’s going to be this week, next week, next month, but make no mistake about it, Jaxson Dart’s time as the starting quarterback is coming.”
While there has always been an assumption that Dart would play at some point during his rookie season, this marks the first time that a reporter with Schefter’s network of sources and pedigree has hinted that a quarterback change could be relatively imminent for the Giants.
Behind a patchwork offensive line on Sunday afternoon, Wilson managed just 168 passing yards on his way to a meager 59.3 passer rating as he absorbed two sacks and eight quarterback pressures while sailing several passes badly off target, in a 21-6 shellacking by the Commanders.
Daboll could be looking to spark the Giants’ offense by inserting Dart, who was one of the brightest stars across the league during the preseason.
The No. 25 overall pick, out of Ole Miss, passed for 372 yards with three touchdowns while completing 37-0f-47 passing attempts during the preseason slate before being elevated to the Giants’ No. 2 quarterback role for the season opener.
When Might Jaxson Dart Make First Giants Start?
Scott Taetsch | GettyGiants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart did not play in New York’s opener, despite being elevated to the No. 2 quarterback spot.
The Giants’ strength of schedule is among the most difficult in the NFL, so there might not be an ideal opportunity to ease Dart into the lineup, which might be why Daboll and staff reportedly had a package of plays in place for Week 1 against Washington to get him some snaps without pressing him into the starting role.
Given that New York’s next three games come against the division-rival Cowboys, in Dallas, against the Kansas City Chiefs, before hosting the Los Angeles Chargers, it might be a bit closer to Schefter’s “next month” prediction before Dart leads the offense out of the tunnel and onto the field.
Week 5 in New Orleans against the Saints could present as soft a landing as the Giants will find on the schedule for Dart to make his first start, before returning home the following week to host the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, at MetLife Stadium.
Whether the Giants’ offensive line improves and if Wilson can bounce back from a shoddy performance in his New York debut could certainly impact the timeline and pressure Daboll feels to get Dart onto the field, but it sounds like Wilson’s role as the starter is anything but secure, at this point.
Dodgers Predicted to Sign Top MLB Free Agent After 2025 Season
Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman
The Los Angeles Dodgers have notoriously been one of the top spenders in MLB for several years now. They showed that at the beginning of 2025, they signed many top free agents to improve their roster.
However, that has not led them to become the juggernaut team many analysts and executives thought they would be. Los Angeles is 79-64 and will likely not reach the 90-win mark with just 20 games left this regular season.
Whatever the Dodgers do in the postseason, one MLB Insider believes they will sign the top free agent after 2025.
Dodgers Predicted to Sign Kyle Tucker
The Chicago Cubs’ slugger is having a rough last two months of the season, but is still considered the top free agent.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale believes it will be to the Los Angeles Dodgers:
“Rival executives still believe he’ll be the highest-paid player in free agency,” Bob Nightengale reported Monday. “Their prediction where he’ll land? The Dodgers, who badly could use outfield help.”
The Dodgers could use outfield help, but signing Tucker to say, $400 million would put them far over the luxury tax. But it would address a much-needed positional issue. Los Angeles signed Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17 million deal before the season, and he has looked like a massive bust the entire season.
Conforto still isn’t above the .200 average mark, despite playing in 124 games. His OPS is 77, well below league average. The Dodgers also traded for left fielder Alex Call back in July, and he hasn’t had much production either. Signing Kyle Tucker in free agency is right up the Dodgers’ wheelhouse.
Although Tucker has struggled for the past few months, he’s still had a solid season. Kyle Tucker still has 22 home runs and an OPS+ of 140.
Kyle Tucker Has So Many Accolades As a Player
Bleacher Report recently came out with a prediction piece about Kyle Tucker’s free agency, and it showed how tenured he is as a player:
“After all, Tucker’s resume includes a World Series title, four All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove. He led the league in RBI in 2023 when he was with the Houston Astros and has hit more than 20 home runs in each of the last five seasons. While he hasn’t been himself since the All-Star break with a .242 batting average, five home runs and 17 RBI, some of that can be explained by injury concerns. And he still has solid overall numbers this season with a .270/.381/.472 slash line, 22 home runs and 73 RBI. Tucker is also just 28 years old, which is another reason he will surely command a significant deal this offseason.”
The next question is how much the Dodgers would pay him, and that will be up to Tucker’s agent.
Fans of other MLB teams would not be happy with the Dodgers making a big-money signing like this, but it would put a lot of pressure on the Cubs to attempt to dish out a higher AAV contract. Tucker’s free agency will be one of the highest-anticipated events this offseason.
