Giants, Bills square off in preseason opener

The Giants look to kick the 2025 preseason campaign off with a win as they face the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York. While Giants head coach Brian Daboll has indicated highly-touted rookie QB Jaxson Dart will suit up in Saturday's game, he did not indicate whether Dart would start or how many snaps he will play.

The Giants are taking no chances in a must-win year for Daboll and Giants General Manager Joe Schoen and will not be playing starters much at all to avoid the risk of injuries. Daboll also noted that his staff used some of the offseason to collect data and analyze the benefit of starters playing in the preseason, to which they determined no significant benefit. While it explains the Giants' desire to sit starters, some question the validity of not giving the starters live reps in the game when the team is fresh off a disappointing 3-14 2024 season. 

The Bills, on the other hand, need little justification to sit MVP QB Josh Allen coming off his most impactful season to date. Head coach Sean McDermott plans to play his starters for the first quarter, with the exception being Mitchell Trubisky under center instead of Allen. The playing status of Bills RB James Cook also remains in question for Saturday's game due to him holding out over the status of his contract extension.

Giants fans should focus on the quality of reps and level of competition displayed from reserves, as that will be a great lens into how the offseason is going in East Rutherford and if Daboll is developing his younger talent. Penalties, lack of discipline, and poor execution should concern fans regardless of who is in the game because that will indicate if real, career-saving progress is being made by Daboll and Joe Schoen.