The New York Giants have fully overhauled their quarterback depth chart this offseason, persevering with with the signing of veteran Russell Wilson on Tuesday.
Mixed with the addition of Jameis Winston every week in the past, that’s two veteran quarterbacks coming in to take excessive of the depth chart.
That ought to not essentially imply that the Giants are performed overhauling that a part of their roster. Particularly because it pertains to the 2025 NFL Draft and their No. 3 general decide.
Earlier than including Wilson and Winston, New York was considered as a possible touchdown spot for a quarterback on the high of the draft, particularly Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders if he ended up getting by way of the primary two picks of the draft.
If he does, and if the Giants view him as a participant worthy of that spot within the draft, they shouldn’t have any hesitation in selecting him. There may even be a robust argument in favor of doing so.
For one, not one of the quarterbacks on the roster — Wilson, Winston or Tommy Devito — are potential long-term options given their ages and long-term upsides. Wilson is barely signed for one season, whereas Winston’s contract pays him like a backup. DeVito is just not anyone you need making greater than a handful of begins in a season and solely when completely crucial.
They’re all placeholders and bridge quarterbacks at greatest.
The issue is no person actually is aware of who they’re placeholders for, as a result of there’s not at present anyone on the roster that matches into the long-term plans. There may be additionally no assure they are going to be positioned to search out that long-term reply subsequent 12 months.
That’s the place a participant like Sanders might nonetheless are available to play.
There may be precedent for a crew to signal a veteran quarterback in free company after which use a top-10 decide on a quarterback, because the Atlanta Falcons did that precise factor a 12 months in the past by signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. In that scenario, Cousins was signed to a considerably longer and costlier contract than both Wilson or Winston received. It additionally ended up in all probability understanding for the perfect because the Cousins experiment didn’t work out as anyone deliberate.
It will additionally enable New York to provide a rookie quarterback a chance to sit down and study for a 12 months with out having to be thrown into the deep finish of the pool behind a nasty crew.
The query would all come down as to whether or not the Giants have that top of a grade on Sanders, or if he even lasts till the No. 3 general decide.
Whereas the Tennessee Titans appear prone to choose Miami’s Cam Ward with the highest decide, there’s some debate as to what the Cleveland Browns will do at No. 2 and if they might take Sanders, or go in a unique route with someone like Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter.
The Giants at the very least have some choices which may be capable of assist them put a formidable offense on the sphere for the 2025 season. They nonetheless want someone past that. The short-term choices for this season mustn’t cease them from additionally including a possible long-term choice in April.