Brian Daboll Refuses to Correct Saquon Barkley Mistake After Russell Wilson Named Week 2 Starter

Not too long ago, Brian Daboll didn’t seem too bothered about parting ways with Saquon Barkley. But fast forward to today, and Barkley has transformed into a powerhouse for the Philadelphia Eagles. Suddenly, what looked like a simple decision turned into one of the biggest blunders in recent Giants history.

And after the Giants suffered a 21-6 defeat to the Commanders, the harsh spotlight fell squarely on Daboll. Analyst Sal Licata didn’t hold back. “This is on Brian Daboll. Even the worst offenses in the league score points… they are a total mess. That has to be on the head coach. The Giants can’t run the football consistently. And they haven’t been able to do that for years,” Licata bluntly pointed out. The whole that Barkley left in Giants roster is still a big gaping hole.

What exactly is Daboll’s mistake here? It’s painfully simple: failing to rebuild the offense after Barkley’s exit. “Even with Saquon Barkley, how many examples do we need? Saquon Barkley, they have them here. The Giants couldn’t utilize them. He goes to Philadelphia, he’s the MVP in the league, wins a Super Bowl, he has a historic season,” Licata further emphasized, underlining how Barkley’s potential was always there — but Daboll failed to keep that. Last season, he rushed for a jaw-dropping 2,005 yards and 15 touchdowns, capped off by a historic 57-yard performance in Super Bowl 59 — smashing Terrell Davis’ record for most rushing yards in a single season (combining playoffs and regular season). He was named the Offensive Player of the Year.

.@sal_licata fired off an EPIC rant on Brian Daboll and the Giants offense pic.twitter.com/z6Ri91ixme

— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) September 8, 2025

In fact, the Giants’ attempts to fill that massive hole have barely made a dent. Last year, they signed Devin Singletary to a three-year deal in free agency. But Singletary managed just 113 carries for 437 yards and 4 touchdowns in 15 games during 2024. Clearly, Daboll’s plan didn’t pan out.

In the Week 1 game for the third consecutive year, the Giants failed to score a touchdown in their Week 1 opener. New York managed just six points on two Graham Gano field goals. The offensive struggles stemmed from poor line play – QB Russell Wilson was hit eight times and sacked twice, while the running game struggled to establish second-level blocking. The protection breakdowns made it nearly impossible for the Giants to sustain drives.

Despite heavy summer work on red zone execution, the Giants struggled to score in scoring position. They came up empty on six attempts from inside the red zone on their opening drive, then repeated with another six failed attempts in the fourth quarter. The 0-for-12 red zone performance is particularly alarming given the team’s offseason emphasis on improving in high and low red zone situations.

This season, the Giants added rookie Cam Skattebo and Jonathan Ward. So far, Skattebo has just 2 carries for -3 yards in one game, and Ward didn’t even make the 53-man roster. To top it all off, there’s another risky move: naming Russell Wilson the Week 2 starter.

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