The Giants’ quarterback switch is the headline this week, but the ripple effects go well beyond J.J. McCarthy taking over and Jameis Winston stepping aside. The offense is about to get rebuilt around McCarthy’s legs, the defense is under pressure to clean things up, and the trade chatter around the roster is starting to heat up as New York heads to Houston to face the Texans on Sunday.
The clearest change with McCarthy under center is the return of quarterback-run concepts. Even while he was still learning the playbook, the coaching staff made it obvious they wanted his mobility in the mix.
His scrambles matter, but the bigger point is what his presence does for the entire scheme. It lets the Giants bring back the quarterback-run elements that had been such a big part of the offense with Dart.
McCarthy may not be as dangerous as Dart as a runner, but defenses still have to honor him as a threat, and that should help create space on zone reads - something the Giants desperately need with the offensive line and running backs struggling.
McCarthy’s adjustment has also included finding his voice. The Giants have been trying to build a player-driven offense around the broad skill set of Jaxson Dart, but that identity barely got off the ground before it changed course. According to the reporting, what the team had built there lasted one game and seven snaps.
The quarterback conversation has naturally spilled into bigger-picture speculation, too. In a Giants mailbag, the bar for McCarthy to seriously force his way into the long-term picture was set extremely high.
The argument was that he would need an exceptional stretch over the next 12 weeks or 11 games: play like a top-10 quarterback, lead the Giants to double-digit wins, secure the NFC East, and then get them to at least the NFC Championship - or at minimum avoid being the reason they lose in the divisional round. Even then, the piece made clear how strongly the organization believes in Dart.
There’s also a practical reality hanging over the roster. New York remains thin on the interior defensive line, and one ESPN trade idea had the Giants sending a 2028 sixth-round pick to the Chargers for Dalvin Tomlinson and a 2028 seventh-round pick.
Tomlinson is a familiar name, having started his career in New York, and the fit is about adding another veteran body to a group that has already leaned on Shelby Harris and DJ Reader after losing Dexter Lawrence II and Roy Robertson-Harris. The Giants’ only defensive tackle with a sack this season is CJ Okoye, so even a limited role for Tomlinson would matter.
Another trade-deadline name to watch is Kayvon Thibodeaux. FOX Sports listed him as New York’s top trade candidate, though it also noted that moving him would be hard if the Giants stay in contention because of Brian Burns’ season-ending injury.
Still, Thibodeaux’s profile makes him the most obvious chip: a young pass rusher on an expiring contract. He hasn’t looked like the player who posted 11.5 sacks in 2023, and he’s gone without a sack over the last 11 games.
The piece called him mostly a non-factor this season, while also suggesting another team might see enough talent to believe it can unlock what’s left.
The offensive line remains a problem, too. PFF’s latest rankings kept the Giants at No. 17, and the injury issues around the group keep piling up.
The team went into last week without right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, then sat left tackle Andrew Thomas for the final 25 snaps against the Saints after he was checked for a concussion. Rookie right guard Francis Mauigoa was the only lineman with a pass-blocking grade below 65.0, finishing at 33.0.
The run game was just as shaky, with the backs gaining only 34 yards on 14 carries.
The backfield itself is another source of concern. Bleacher Report’s re-ranking of second-year NFL running backs placed Cam Skattebo at No. 8, but the writeup was not kind to where his season stands now.
After some early flashes as a rookie, Skattebo entered his second year expected to break out as the lead back in a young Giants offense. Instead, ball security problems have clouded his outlook, and his efficiency has dropped as well.
In six games this season, he has one 100-yard outing, one touchdown, and a 3.6-yard average per carry. He also got no touches in Week 6.
For all the noise around personnel and future plans, the immediate task is still Sunday in Houston. The Giants have changed quarterbacks, but they still need the same thing they’ve needed: cleaner play, better blocking, and enough production to make the switch matter.
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That uncertainty has opened the door to outside chatter about whether the Giants need to keep looking before the trade deadline. Connor Hughes raised the possibility that New York could explore adding another primary runner, a sign that the team may be viewing Skattebo more as part of the solution than the centerpiece of it. For a team trying to protect its place in the division, the next move at running back could say plenty about how aggressively it wants to lean into the moment. [Read more 🡒]
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Wan'Dale Robinson Is Making One Giants Decision Look Smarter
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Through Week 6, Robinson has 25 catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns while playing 67 percent of the offensive snaps, but his production has come with a shorter catch window and less impact after the grab. His yards per reception has dropped to 7.9, and his drop rate has climbed to a career-high 8.1 percent, a reminder that the Giants may have been more comfortable than it first appeared when they chose a different direction. [Read more 🡒]