Why Giants 'need' to let Jaxson Dart start at QB over Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston

   

The New York Giants are assumed to be giving Jaxson Dart a "redshirt" year after taking him in the first round of the NFL Draft.

They already have two veterans, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, who are expected to compete for the starting job.

But there may actually be reason to start Dart. The Sporting News' senior NFL writer Vinnie Iyer made the case in new analysis out Sunday.

Here's what Iyer has to say:

"The Giants need to open up the competition and let Dart push to beat both veterans. Dart has the dynamic athletic running elements Winston has never had, and he has the cannon arm that Wilson doesn't have in the same way anymore. He also would be more willing than both QBs to settle throwing short-to-intermediate routes and checkdowns instead of just trying to throw deep to Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton. Dart's skillset is a better fit for Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka's offense right away than either Winston's or Wilson's."

 

Iyer compares this to Eli Manning.

When Manning was a rookie, he sat behind Kurt Warner.

But Iyer makes the case that Warner is very different from Russ and Jameis.

"That was Warner, a Rams league MVP and future Hall of Famer, who still had prime left to star in Arizona," Iyer writes. "This is Winston, a congenial gunslinger who's accepted his fall from No. 1 overall pick to career backup with aplomb, and Wilson, who started his hard fade in Denver and showed more arm decline in Pittsburgh at age 36."

The best argument here might indeed by Dart's natural arm talent.

The Giants have a second-year rising superstar in Nabers along with other solid pass catchers.

Their starting quarterback should be the player who can take most advantage of that.

Maybe it'll wind up being Dart after all.