When the New York Giants turned to rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart over veteran starter Russell Wilson they made the move that will define their 2025 season. So you’d think they let other senior players in on the switch, right? Well, not exactly.
It turns out Giants head coach Brian Daboll didn’t even inform those set to catch passes from the new QB1. Including wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who made the shocking revelation he and other “Giants players found out about the QB change on Twitter, just like everybody else,’” per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Trying to fathom why Daboll and Giants coaches didn’t at least loop in those directly connected to Dart’s success isn’t easy. It’s one more indicator Daboll is becoming an increasingly isolated figure as an under-pressure coach getting desperate.
His desperation has Dart entering the lineup ahead of schedule, but there’s some merit to embracing the idea the future is now. Notably because the 25th pick in the 2025 NFL draft has the upside and dual-threat skills to at least give Daboll and the Giants hope, provided there’s unity in the camp.
Giants Need Unified Effort for Jaxson Dart
Dart has the raw tools to be a star, but he’s going to need a lot of help to revive the fortunes of a losing team. Particularly when he’s starting out against the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers and their stingy defense.
Opposition is not as important to Daboll as Dart adding what the Giants are missing in key areas of their offense. Things Wilson wasn’t providing with a third-down output of “15-of-31, 193 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 54.9 rating, 9 first downs,” as well as the following red zone numbers,” 4-of-18, 16 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 39.6 rating, 1 first down,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Asking Dart to solve problems in clutch situations and at the business end of the field is a tall order for a 22-year-old yet to throw a pass in meaningful NFL action. Dart’s going to need the help of veteran leaders, even those not included in Daboll’s thinking.
Robinson is one of them, despite having forged his own on-field rapport with Wilson. The Giants need Robinson and fellow wideout Malik Nabers to quickly rally around Dart.
They can take their cues from All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II. Like Robinson, Lawrence told reporters he found out about Wilson’s benching and Dart’s promotion, “the same way everybody else found out,” per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
He didn’t have any say, nor prior knowledge about how the quarterback change went down, but the linchpin of the Giants’ defense is giving Dart his full backing: “It ain’t my call, honestly. He’s my quarterback now, so we’ll be by his side and roll with him until the end.”
Lawrence can feel confident about Dart taking over because of a key personality trait he’s noticed about the former Ole Miss standout.
Giants Expecting 1 Big Change from Jaxson Dart
If there’s one change the Giants are already counting on with Dart at the helm, it’s more “swagger” from the position. That belief bordering on arrogance, common, even necessary, to all successful pro quarterbacks, was missing from Wilson through three games, but Giants teammates haven’t been able to mistake it in Dart.
Some of the best observations were collected by NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton. He reported Robinson said “I don’t think he’s gonna lose that,” while Lawrence believes “nobody can take his swagger,” and rookie running back Cam Skattebo revealed “This is who he is every day, no matter what.”
Those are solid endorsements from a worthy group of core players, but Robinson’s praise is particularly telling. He had a lot of confidence in Wilson’s ability, so Dart will need to win Robinson over the same way.
If it happens, the receiver will soon get over how he find out about the switch and become a niche target for his new signal-caller.