NEW YORK (AP) — Coach Brian Daboll on Monday refused to reveal whether rookie Jaxson Dart or veteran Jameis Winston will serve as the New York Giants' backup quarterback for their season opener Sunday at Washington.
Russell Wilson is set to start against the Commanders. Dart, the first-round pick who is being groomed as the QB of the future, impressed in training camp and preseason games, though Winston has more than 100 games of NFL experience and was listed second with Dart third on the first unofficial depth chart released during camp.
"Any roster decisions based on who’s going to be the backup, we’ll have that out there on Sunday," Daboll said on a video call with reporters.
He also declined to announce whether Deonte Banks or Cor’Dale Flott will start as the No. 2 cornerback opposite free agent addition Paulson Adebo, or whether Greg Van Roten or converted tackle Evan Neal won the competition for the starting right guard position. Van Roten took the first-team snaps and is expected to get the nod.
"We have a good idea of how we’re going to play, with the players we’re going to play with," Daboll said. “That’ll all come out on Sunday.”
The depth chart still lists Banks or Flott among the starters in a new-look secondary that also includes safety Jevon Holland.
“Whoever’s out there, it doesn’t matter who’s out there," nickel cornerback Dru Phillips said. "We have a really good secondary, in my opinion. ... What we have on paper and what we’ve shown in practice, we can do a lot and we’re just trying to do the best that we can each and every day.”
The Giants aimed for standout left tackle Andrew Thomas to be ready for Week 1 after opening camp on the physically unable to perform list and not playing in any of their three exhibition games while rehabbing from foot surgery last October. It's not clear if that will happen, with Daboll saying only that he expected everyone to participate in a walkthrough Monday.
That would also seemingly include top receiver Malik Nabers, who has been dealing with a toe injury and did not participate in the preseason. Nabers is coming off catching 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.
The league does not require teams to share injury information until the regular season, and Daboll repeatedly has said he would not talk about why players were not on the field. The first injury disclosures are expected Wednesday, when teams playing Sunday are required to publish which players did or did not practice and why.
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Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
