Giants have a quarterback conundrum pop up for the preseason

A delicate balancing act is required for the four quarterbacks on the New York Giants' preseason roster.

Veteran Russell Wilson will be the Giants' Week 1 starter against the Washington Commanders. Per the depth chart released this week, Jameis Winston is QB2 and rookie Jaxson Dart is QB3. Tommy DeVito is QB4.

Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Giants have to juggle Dart's development with the ego of Winston during the preseason.

Because New York prefers not to have Winston or Dart behind the third-team offensive line, DeVito is taking extra snaps from Dart at training camp so he can play mop-up duty during the preseason.

"It stands to reason the Giants will want to get Dart as much playing time as possible in the preseason since they’re committed to riding Wilson as the starter once the season starts," Duggan wrote. "But the Giants also won’t want to expose Dart to getting pulverized behind the third-team offensive line, so there will be a fine line to walk with his playing time.

"That has to be the only reason No. 4 quarterback Tommy DeVito remains on the roster. If the Giants are reluctant to expose Dart behind third-string linemen, and it could be viewed as insulting to make Winston play the fourth quarter of preseason games, someone needs to take those snaps."

Per Duggan, Dart has taken 149 reps in training camp to Wilson's 110. The disparity in reps was why it was a surprise to see the first-round pick behind Winston on the initial depth chart.

DeVito has taken 64 reps in camp that could have otherwise gone to Dart or Winston.

Keeping DeVito around for the preseason serves another purpose. Keeping him on the field more during games keeps Winston healthy, something the Giants might need if their 36-year-old quarterback has an issue in the regular season.