McCarthy Is the Starter Now, and the Room Looks Nothing Like It Did Six Weeks Ago

The depth chart at quarterback reads J.J. McCarthy first, Jake Haener second. That's a long way from where this season started, when Russell Wilson was nominally the answer and Jameis Winston was the insurance policy. Three weeks of injuries and shuffling later, a rookie is running the first-team offense.

The Giants have now cycled through four names under center in roughly that many weeks. Winston stepped in when the situation required it, Haener was signed in mid-August as a depth measure, and now McCarthy — listed first on the current depth chart — is the guy. That's a lot of movement at the most important position on the field, and it happened fast.

What the Giants do have around him is worth noting. Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo give the offense a legitimate ground game, and Wan'Dale Robinson showed last season he can carry a passing attack when asked. Malik Nabers is active. The structure exists for a run-first team that doesn't ask a rookie to do too much too soon.

Still, McCarthy is a rookie, and this room has been anything but stable. Whether the offensive line can hold up and whether the run game can take enough pressure off him are the practical questions for the next few weeks. The Giants are betting the answer to both is yes.