Giants legend addresses narrative about benching Russell Wilson to start Jaxson Dart

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News is among New York Giants reporters who have suggested a big reason the Giants have benched starting quarterback Russell Wilson in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart is that head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are desperate to save their jobs. 

During Tuesday's edition of the SNY "SportsNite" program, Giants legend and NFL analyst Tiki Barber addressed the club's much-discussed quarterback change. 

Why Tiki Barber likes New York Giants turning to Jaxson Dart

"It might seem like desperation, but I think it’s actually the smart move to fully develop Jaxson Dart in an environment where he can learn on the fly," Barber explained, per Andy Nesbitt of Sports Illustrated. "I think the offensive line has played better, so hopefully he’s protected, but he’s also going to pick up invaluable experience by actually being in the game instead of coming in for the gimmicks that he was coming in for the first two weeks."

Super Bowl champion head coach and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers senior advisor Bruce Arians agrees that the best way for Dart to learn how to serve as an NFL QB1 "is to get out there and play." It also doesn't hurt that Wilson failed to impress across two of three starts as the Giants fell to 0-3 on the season. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Wilson ended Week 3 of the campaign ranked 24th in the NFL among qualified players with a 78.5 passer rating and 20th with a 54.3 adjusted QBR. He recorded zero red-zone touchdown passes over his three outings. 

How Jaxson Dart may improve New York Giants offense

At least one report indicated some within the Giants felt Dart and not Wilson should've been atop the depth chart to begin the season. Barber expanded on how the New York offense could improve when Dart plays against the 3-0 Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium this coming Sunday. 

"He’s got a really live arm, he’s a bigger quarterback, so throwing those balls over the middle — which we haven’t seen a lot of in the first three weeks of the season — might be something that gets integrated into the offense," Barber added about Dart. "From a fanbase standpoint, you're just excited to potentially be watching your future QB."

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Dart third among the betting favorites at +650 odds to claim the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for this season. It could be interesting to see how those odds shift by the time Sunday evening arrives.