play0:49Bijan Robinson is focused on being best version of himselfBijan Robinson says he has to elevate himself if he wants to reach Saquon Barkley’s level.
Jeremy FowlerCloseJeremy Fowlersenior NFL national reporterJeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.Follow on XDan GrazianoCloseDan Grazianosenior NFL national reporterDan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.Follow on XSep 24, 2025, 06:25 AM ET
Eisen ‘surprised’ Giants are starting Jaxson Dart, benching Russell Wilson (2:17)Rich Eisen reacts to Adam Schefter’s report that the Giants will start rookie QB Jaxson Dart over Russell Wilson in Week 4. (2:17)
Bijan Robinson is focused on being best version of himselfBijan Robinson says he has to elevate himself if he wants to reach Saquon Barkley’s level.
Why did the Giants make the move to Jaxson Dart now?
Which team most needs to be active in the trade market?
What is the most surprising QB situation through three weeks?
We’ve hit Week 4 of the NFL season, and insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and buzz on key situations.
One of the biggest storylines of the week is the Giants naming first-round rookie Jaxson Dart as their starting quarterback on Tuesday. Jeremy and Dan have intel on why New York made that move right now and what’s next for this offense. They also share what they’re hearing on Michael Penix Jr.’s growing pains in Atlanta, the most surprising QB situations in the NFL through three weeks and some early chatter around the NFL trade deadline (Nov. 4).
It’s all here, as Jeremy and Dan answer big questions and empty their reporting notebooks heading into Week 4.
Jump to: Giants starting Dart | Falcons’ offensive issues Trade deadline buzz | Surprising QB situations
Fowler: They did this for two primary reasons. The offensive output in two of the first three games was unpleasant, to say the least. The image of Russell Wilson throwing the ball into the tunnel on a red zone possession for a penalty, then throwing it away on fourth down to cap a 22-9 loss to Kansas City is hard to shake.
Graziano: The Giants honestly believed they had enough of a support system around Wilson that they could win games and stay competitive while Dart took his time to get ready. We can debate whether they had credible reason to believe that, but they were wrong. Aside from a 450-yard performance in Week 2 against a lost Cowboys defense, Wilson has looked like a shell of his former self. And the 0-3 record left the Giants little choice at this point.
The Giants toiled near the bottom of the offensive rankings in 2023 and 2024 with Daniel Jones, who has looked great in Indianapolis. But this is the best skill group Daboll has had since he arrived in 2022. The offensive line isn’t elite but is approaching passable, especially with Andrew Thomas back. It’s time for this staff to get it done.
I’m also curious what all this means for Wilson. Will he stick around and be one of Dart’s veteran backups, along with Jameis Winston? Will he be the No. 2 QB on game day or the emergency third quarterback, which Winston has been in each of the first three weeks? Will he do what Jones did last season and ask the team to release him so he can try to latch on elsewhere, perhaps with a chance to start?
It’s hard — after watching Wilson the past three seasons in Denver and Pittsburgh, and then early this season in New York — not to think this is the end or very close to it. Will he keep trying to play? Or is this the way his decorated career comes to an end?
Graziano: The whole thing looks like a mess. Sure, Penix is playing like a quarterback who has made only six starts in the NFL, but a couple of people I talked to Monday said they don’t think the team is doing enough to help him. There were a few instances Sunday — a 30-0 loss to Carolina — where plays seemingly took too long to come in. Receivers also dropped passes.
Penix has absolutely not played well (20th in QBR) and he looked perplexed by what the Panthers were showing him in Week 3. But the Falcons continue to believe in him, and the moves they announced Monday — moving offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from the booth down to the sideline for Sunday’s game against Washington and firing receivers coach Ike Hilliard — addressed the overall offensive situation, not Penix specifically.
Fowler: As one NFL coaching source who has studied the Falcons put it, “[Penix] can throw it, he just can’t see it right now.” In other words, defenses are clouding the picture and confusing the young quarterback. Penix appeared to be playing more freely late last season, and he has the arm strength to utilize the entire field.
It caught my attention when the Falcons relied a lot on 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) and a run-heavy attack against Brian Flores’ Vikings defense, which resulted in 218 rushing yards and a 22-6 win. The Falcons got away from that Sunday in Carolina. Charlie Woerner, the team’s second tight end, played 14 snaps vs. 56 the week before, though Woerner was banged up because of an ankle issue during the week.
Still, Atlanta’s offense needs to lean into the run game to ease the pressure on Penix and loosen up passing lanes. Giving running back Bijan Robinson the ball as much as possible is always a good way to help a young quarterback. Falcons coach Raheem Morris says Robinson is the league’s best player, and he might be right.
Graziano: I wonder if time is all that’s needed for improvement. The Falcons didn’t have No. 2 wide receiver Darnell Mooney for training camp after he suffered an injury on one of the first days. They lost right tackle Kaleb McGary — the blindside protector for the left-handed Penix — to a season-ending injury right before the season started. Top wide receiver Drake London hasn’t found a groove.
Again, the Falcons believe Penix has special qualities and should be a true franchise quarterback. That’s doesn’t mean they’re right — a lot of teams get those evaluations wrong — but it’s definitely too soon to decide either way. If Atlanta can continue to lean on Robinson and the run game while things settle down around the passing game, there’s enough talent for one to believe it will come around.
The passing game is built around London, who has 12 targets for eight catches and 104 yards the past two weeks. Penix and London finding their chemistry will help the rest of the offense open up.
Fowler: Injuries over the next month could be the big determining factor, but I usually start these conversations with the most aggressive general managers. Philadelphia’s Howie Roseman and Houston’s Nick Caserio have been among the most active dealmakers in recent years. While Roseman is usually trying to add, Caserio and the 0-3 Texans could be a few losses away from wanting to deal players for picks. I still think the Eagles might not be done at cornerback and could survey the market.
And Cleveland — whose general manager, Andrew Berry, is never afraid to put together a deal — needs offensive tackle help because of a season-ending knee injury to left tackle Dawand Jones. The Browns are looking at options there.
Bijan Robinson is focused on being best version of himself
Bijan Robinson says he has to elevate himself if he wants to reach Saquon Barkley’s level.
Fowler: The Chiefs also need a lift on offense. Luckily for them, receivers Xavier Worthy (shoulder) and Rashee Rice (suspension) will return to the lineup before the deadline. Those two, Hollywood Brown and the resurgent Tyquan Thornton might be enough. But the running game still needs help. Miami isn’t playing running back Jaylen Wright, who had a lot of fans in the 2024 draft. It might be worth a call for Kansas City.
Graziano: Another potentially available Dolphin I have my eye on is edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, a 2021 first-round pick who’s in the final year of his contract. If Miami decides to start moving players, Phillips is probably one of their more popular potential trade options.
Fowler: Good call. Phillips has massive upside despite his injury history. He would fit in seamlessly somewhere, and pass rusher is always a focus for teams. To that end, could a team pry Trey Hendrickson out of Cincinnati? On a smaller scale, Azeez Ojulari is a healthy scratch right now in Philly.
What’s your gauge on receivers, Dan? The Steelers could have one more move in them, and I’d be willing to bet they’d at least have a conversation on Tyreek Hill if Miami engaged. Curtis Samuel is also a healthy scratch in Buffalo despite making $7.4 million this season.
Fowler: The output is surprising but not exactly shocking. It’s amazing what trust, confidence and an improved supporting cast will do for a wounded quarterback. Belief is a powerful thing. In the spring, the Colts gave Jones cut-ups of last season’s offense, and he blew through those in a few days, asking for more. That was a good sign.
Graziano: Keeping a healthy McCarthy on the bench just because Wentz has the team on a roll sounds incredible to me, given that the Vikings did not pursue a fallback option for McCarthy this offseason and have consistently trumpeted their confidence in him. But I hear where you’re coming from. This is a team that won 14 games last season and believes it has a good enough roster to compete for a championship. Let’s see how Wentz does in Dublin against a struggling Steelers defense.
I think the Jets have one of the nuttiest QB situations so far. Justin Fields played great in Week 1, losing narrowly to the Steelers, then played like someone who’d never seen a football before in Week 2. During that game, he left because of a concussion and then missed Week 3, in which backup Tyrod Taylor played well. The Jets are 0-3 with three very different QB performances. Where do you think this is all headed, especially once Fields clears concussion protocol?