After seeing Russell Wilson throw at Giants OTAs, Mark Schlereth gives verdict on Jaxson Dart's starting date in 2025 NFL season

Although Jaxson Dart was taken in the first round, Russell Wilson has been declared the New York Giants' starter for the 2025 season. After Wilson signed a one-year deal during the offseason, coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen confirmed that the veteran will play in Week 1.

However, the desire to see the young quarterback remains one of the biggest reasons why Giants fans are excited for 2025. After a disappointing 2024 season, ending with a 3-14 record, a promising young quarterback on a rebuilding team is always going to spark good feelings.

Mark Schlereth, a former NFL guard and current analyst for Fox Sports, believes Dart will be on the field soon. When analyzing footage from the Giants' OTAs practice, he pointed to Wilson's penchant to hold the ball too long as a reason why he could be benched:

“Go back to the video of Russ. Here's video evidence of why it's going to be Week 1. We've got a little 7-on-7 drill. No offensive line. I'm just going to show you something.

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

"This is why Jaxson will become the starter with the New York Giants. 7-on-7, no offensive line, no defensive line. You're gonna scramble on a 7-on-7 drill? No, that's not how it works. We don't scramble on 7-on-7. There's no pass rush. That's why Jaxson is going to be the starter. Because you scramble in 7-on-7 drills, you take too many sacks.”

Expand Tweet

Former Jets scout believes Jaxson Dart will flame out in NFL after comparison with Zach Wilson

Giants fans are excited to see the young quarterback taking the reins and hope to see the change midway through the season.

However, not everyone is a believer: Daniel Kelly, a former scout for the New York Jets, drew a parallel between Dart and Zach Wilson, a bust from the Jets:

"Jaxson Dart is like Zach Wilson in New York all over again —only this time on the Giants."

Wilson, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, couldn't live up to expectations regarding his selection. He started for the Jets for three years before moving to the Denver Broncos via trade.

The Jets signed Justin Fields during free agency, and he's expected to be their starter for the 2025 season.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

Giants Nation! Check out the latest New York Giants Schedule and dive into the Giants Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Bhargav