Giants go with J.J. McCarthy as primary backup to Jameis Winston
The Giants decided to carry two active quarterbacks for Sunday, installing J.J. McCarthy as the No. 2 behind Jameis Winston with Jake Haener inactive as the third QB
Posted
The Giants settled their Week 5 quarterback alignment on Sunday morning, electing to go with two active QBs and making J.J. McCarthy the primary backup to starter Jameis Winston. The team ruled out third quarterback Jake Haener as an inactive, leaving McCarthy as the only relief option behind Winston.
Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo): The #Giants opt to go with 2 active QBs and J.J. McCarthy as the primary backup to Jameis Winston today.
Garafolo noted the Giants had several options on how to handle the QB room entering Sunday and settled on McCarthy as the No. 2. The question now is whether they utilize him with a package of plays or keep him strictly in a pure backup capacity. McCarthy, the 11th overall pick by the Vikings in the 2024 draft who was later traded to New York, has been developing behind Winston through the early part of the season.
The decision to keep Haener inactive and designate McCarthy as the primary backup signals growing confidence from the coaching staff in the young QB's readiness. With Winston playing well this season — he has thrown for seven touchdowns with a 102.3 passer rating through four games — McCarthy's role for now is insurance, but Sunday will offer the first real window into how the team views its depth chart going forward.