More details emerge on Russell Wilson's impact on star receiver Malik Nabers

It's been an encouraging summer for the New York Giants at the sport's most important position.

Rookie Jaxson Dart has flashed plenty of upside throughout the preseason, while there have been numerous reports regarding how current starting quarterback Russell Wilson has had a positive impact on Giants receivers such as second-year pro Malik Nabers, Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson through the summer.

For a piece published on Monday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated expanded on how Wilson became the leader of the Giants offense even as Dart emerged as one of the stars of the preseason. 

"Nabers has had a strong summer, and part of it has been the time he’s spent bonding with Wilson," Breer explained. "One story I heard about Wilson setting the tone was the room he rented for recovery and rehab in the team hotel for camp — a room that younger teammates started to gravitate to, with some borrowing from the quarterback’s methods. Nabers was at the top of the list of guys to do that, and it’s shown in how consistent he’s become, as the violent, aggressive, fast style of play he brought into the pros has started to conform to the NFL."

The Giants made Nabers the sixth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he played like a potential superstar as a rookie even though his club lacked top-tier talent at the quarterback position. According to ESPN stats, Nabers finished his debut pro season ranked fifth in the league with 109 receptions and seventh with 1,204 receiving yards. In total, he recorded seven touchdown catches over 15 games.

While Dart performed well across New York's three preseason wins, Giants head coach Brian Daboll is sticking with Wilson as the club's QB1 for its Week 1 game at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. Breer seems to believe fans hoping that Dart will replace Wilson in the lineup as soon as for the Week 2 matchup at the Dallas Cowboys may be disappointed. 

"Wilson’s been good thus far in being a vocal leader in the meeting room and on the practice field, setting the bar as far as preparation, work ethic and the overall level of expectation," Breer mentioned. "...Wilson seems energized by the coaches’ buy-in on him, and Brian Daboll’s building an offense to lean into what he does well in an effort to get him playing fast with the ball coming out quickly."

That's all well and good, but the harsh truth remains that calls for Dart to start will grow quite loud if the Giants are 0-2 ahead of their home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 21. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Commanders as six-point favorites over the Giants for Week 1.