While the Jaxson Dart show debuted in Buffalo as planned, Giants fans were treated to a bit of a surprise Saturday when Russell Wilson and other starters lined up to kick off the preseason with a 34-25 win over the Bills.
Coming out of camp this week, that didn’t seem likely. But coach Brian Daboll gave Wilson and the starting offense a series while the defensive starters played two series.
“I thought we needed that,” Daboll said. “We’ll do it again. We’re going to play in the preseason.”
All four of the Giants’ quarterbacks saw the field, but the emphasis was on Wilson and Dart, who made his rookie debut.
Stock up
Russell Wilson, QB
We got our first look at a Wilson-led offense, albeit with a lot of pieces missing. Star wide receiver Malik Nabers, who’s been one of Wilson’s strongest connections all camp, and receiver Darius Slayton sat out after not participating in Thursday’s practice. Receiver Jalin Hyatt also didn’t play. It was good to see Wilson and the Giants in action without Nabers to get a better sense of the offense and its flow.
Wilson played just one series, going 6-for-7 for 26 passing yards. The opening 12-play drive ended in a Graham Gano 53-yard field goal, which was encouraging given that Gano has dealt with injuries the last two seasons. The drive itself didn’t feature any standout plays, but that is noteworthy in itself. The offense was functioning, and Wilson led the Giants with poise, looking like the 12-year veteran he is. Wilson got the ball out under pressure, and while some penalties stalled the drive — more on that below — Wilson commanded the pocket.
“Being a pro and a vet that’s been doing it for a long time, you can feel that at practice, you can feel that out there today,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen said on the broadcast. “The ball just comes out quick. There aren’t any defenses that he hasn’t seen before. He’s got very good command of the offense, and I feel like you felt that today.”
Jaxson Dart, QB
Giants fans have been waiting since Dart was drafted with this year’s No. 25 pick — and if we’re being more realistic, even longer — to see the future in action. If Saturday is any indication, that future is bright.
Dart came in after Wilson’s first series and finished the first half, going 12-for-19 for 154 yards and one touchdown. He looked decisive and handled pressure well. He also managed to get a two-minute situation to close out the first half, which ended with a field goal. Three of Dart’s four drives ended with a score.
Dart’s standout play of the game was his first touchdown in an NFL uniform — a 28-yard pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. With a Bill in his face thanks to right guard Jake Kubas getting beat, Dart still got the ball out and perfectly placed it to Humphrey. Perhaps even more impressive was that Dart aired it out for a score after nearly throwing an interception on the previous play.
Dart also got going on the ground, rushing for a team-high 24 yards. On one play, Dart took off on a 19-yard scramble to keep a play alive as he found space to run.
“Jaxson did a good job operating the offense, and I was glad he was able to get the two-minute drill in there in the end,” Schoen said on the broadcast.
Abdul Carter, OLB
Carter has looked every bit the No. 3 pick in training camp. And he seemed to seamlessly transition his summer performance into game action for the first time.
Carter’s versatility is one of his signatures after switching to the edge spot during his final collegiate season. On Saturday, he also lined up at the three-technique spot.
But when Carter’s on the field, he just finds a way to get to the quarterback. He made it look easy against Bills four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins.
Carter played six snaps in his preseason debut and was near the quarterback on all three pass-rush snaps.
Tyrone Tracy, RB
Tracy emerged as the Giants’ best running back last season, and that continued to start the preseason. He was the go-to guy for Wilson to start the game, touching the ball on the first four possessions with two pass plays and two rushes. Tracy finished with three rushes for 9 yards and caught two receptions for 7 yards. He was subbed out after that first drive.
While fourth-round back Cam Skattebo has garnered plenty of hype, he has been dealing with a hamstring injury and did not play Saturday. Skattebo offers a more physical complement to Tracy and an additional target in the passing game, but Tracy will remain the Giants’ feature back for now.
Dante Miller, RB
Dante “Turbo” Miller spent his rookie season on the Giants’ practice squad, and his speed has always been an exciting attribute to his game. With Skattebo out and Eric Gray (knee) on the PUP list, Miller earned plenty of snaps. And yes, that speed was on display Saturday. Miller had a team-high 10 carries for only 22 yards, but he added seven receptions on seven targets for 80 yards.
What will be interesting now is if Miller can earn a roster spot, potentially increasing his value as a receiver. It seems unlikely the Giants would keep a fourth running back, but Miller could also add value as a kick returner — he returned one return for 20 yards Saturday.
Roy Robertson-Harris, DL
While the Giants’ offense has plenty of question marks, the defense, particularly its front seven, is supposed to be its touting point. But Dexter Lawrence, the team’s star defensive tackle, didn’t play Saturday, so we weren’t able to get a full picture of the defense. Again, the upside is getting a better look at new faces, including Robertson-Harris. The defensive tackle looked more active in his two series on the field than he has all summer. He finished with two tackles and a quarterback hit. Robertson-Harris did draw a roughing-the-passer call, but it was good to see him in action with the starters and what he brings to this defense.
Stock down
James Hudson, OL
The Giants’ offensive line played well, not giving up a sack on 51 pass attempts. Rookie Marcus Mbow looked good with the second-teamers, and it was quiet on his side at right tackle when he was in the game. I look forward to watching some of his tape from Saturday.
But where it wasn’t quiet was the left side with the starters. Hudson has been the starting left tackle all camp as Andrew Thomas recovers from a Lisfranc injury. There’s no replacing Thomas when healthy, but unfortunately, that’s been the task of the Giants lately as Thomas has missed 18 games the past two seasons with injuries. Hudson was signed this offseason, and in his debut, he had back-to-back penalties — a false start and a hold. The left side of the line just seemed a bit more penetrable, but Wilson, the veteran quarterback, was able to make plays despite the pressure.
Deonte Banks, CB
As we mentioned, the starting defense played only two series Saturday, but Banks remained on the field the entire first half. At first, it seemed like a question of availability, with cornerbacks Cor’Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins, Art Green and Korie Black missing. But Banks has been competing for CB2 this camp, and there’s no sign of that quieting even as Flott deals with injury.
Schoen said so on the broadcast.
“He’s in a battle with Flott for that second corner spot,” Schoen said, “so it was important to get out here and let him play.”
Banks finished with three tackles and one pass defended. He nearly gave up a major deep ball but defended wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson enough that he landed out of bounds.
Evan Neal, OL
After a disappointing start to his Giants career, the 2022 first-rounder is making the transition from tackle to guard and needs all the reps he can get. Neal has split first-team right guard reps with Greg Van Roten throughout camp, but game action will be imperative to get a sense of how the transition is going. But Neal didn’t play in Saturday’s game after he spent Thursday’s practice working off to the side. It’s hard to evaluate a player when he’s not on the field, so Neal is on this list more because of a missed opportunity rather than poor play. We’ll see if Neal can get game snaps in next Saturday’s game against the Jets.
(Photo of Jaxson Dart: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images)
