Brian Daboll noncommittal on Russell Wilson as Week 2 starter after Giants' season opening dud
Daboll gave non-answers on whether he'd commit to Wilson, but did not consider putting in Jaxson Dart as Giants get smoked by Commanders
•
1 min read
After an impotent offensive performance in his team's 21-6 season-opening loss to the Washington Commanders, New York Giants coach Brian Daboll was evasive and noncommittal when asked if veteran incumbent Russell Wilson would start in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. Outside of one drive that ended in a field goal, Wilson and the offense failed to generate any meaningful offense as the Giants failed to score a touchdown for the third straight opener under Daboll.
While Daboll's modus operandi has been to say little of substance in press conferences, his lack of a strong committal to Wilson is notable given the presence of Jaxson Dart, the No. 25 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, as the direct backup to Wilson to start the season.
"We're gonna get home, look at our game. Collectively we've all got to do better," Daboll said to a variety of questions. "We're just right here, after the game, I've got confidence in Russell. We've got to better around overall, players, coaches, around everybody. We'll get focused and ready to go on Dallas. ... We're talking about after every game. I've got confidence in Russ. So we're gonna go back, we'll evaluate the tape.
"This game isn't on Russell Wilson. It's not on Russell Wilson. I want to make that clear. I have confidence in Russ, we've got to do a better job all the way around."
Brian Daboll avoiding questions about if Russell Wilson will be QB1 next week pic.twitter.com/bSKLQ08tuq
— Giants Nation Show (@GiantsNationPod) September 7, 2025
While the possibility of a short leash on Wilson is a major takeaway from Daboll's postgame press conference, there is also the undercurrent of exactly how long Giants ownership's leash on Daboll is: With the Giants' loss to Washington, they are now 9-26 under Daboll dating back to Week 1 of the 2023 season, which includes a 3-14 season that featured the most losses in the franchise's 100-year history and which both Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen barely survived.
Adding to Daboll's problems is yet another case of poor optics, as former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones -- the team's scapegoat for offensive problems the past two years -- was dominant in his first start for the Indianapolis Colts, who blew out the Miami Dolphins 33-8.
