Raise your hand if you’ve heard how bad the New York Giants’ quarterback room has been since Eli Manning retired. Wow, that’s a lot of hands. It’s been no secret the G-Men have needed a QB shake-up in the worst way, and entering the 2025 offseason, general manager Joe Schoen understood the assignment.
The Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito quarterback carousel of 2024 was the final straw. None of them are back in Giants blue this season. The new unit features Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart, a massive difference year over year. Finally. But not everyone was sold. The G-Men got hammered throughout the offseason for their perceived "Band-Aid" fix.
Related: 3 winners (and 2 losers) from Giants' eye-opening preseason win vs Bills
After months of waiting to see how the new (and hopefully improved) trio would perform, their Saturday preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills was the perfect opportunity to find out. A 34-25 victory all but confirmed this QB room is already better than the ones of old.
Upgraded Giants QB room shines in 34-25 preseason victory over Buffalo
As expected, Brian Daboll sent Wilson out on the first drive. In a vanilla offensive scheme (don’t want to give too much away now, do we), Russ looked sharp. He finished the day with six completions for 28 yards. Fans didn’t get to see the signature moonball, but a subtly solid drive to begin his Giants career is a good start. It ended with a 53-yard Graham Gano field goal.
Then it was Dart’s turn. The rookie looked comfortable. Rookie mistakes popped up here and there, but overall, he looked every bit like a franchise quarterback. His stat line was strong: 12 completions for 154 yards and a touchdown. The highlight was a 28-yard TD pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey, that couldn't have been dropped more perfectly into his breadbasket if it tried.
But Dart’s most telling stat won’t show up on his sheet — he led three scoring drives in four possessions without a turnover or sack. The 22-year-old’s floor looks a lot higher than anyone could have guessed.
When the second half opened, Winston got the call. Based on quarterback rating alone (108.9), the 31-year-old had the best day of the group. The eye test might tell a slightly different story, but he made some nice throws with the occasional vintage heave that landed a little too close to the defense.
Still, it was an impressive afternoon for the upgraded QB room. It may only be the first preseason game, but it’s hard not to like what they put on tape this early in the process.
Not to be forgotten in all the hoopla is Big Blue Nation’s fan favorite, Tommy DeVito. The third-year former undrafted free agent looked strong. Sure, he came in last and faced the threes and fours, but if he’s going to make a roster push, Saturday was as good a start as any.
All together, the core four combined for 35 completions, 317 yards, three touchdowns, with zero turnovers. For a QB room that's been getting dragged through the mud for the entire offseason, it's nice to see them throw it back into everyone's faces with their collective performance vs the Bills.
It's only the first preseason game, but if the QBs keep playing the way they did, it might be time to rethink just how truly awful this team really is. Funny enough, maybe this team now has too many good QB options. What a difference a preseason game can make.