Rookie Davis Webb will finally dress for a regular season game as Eli Manning’s understudy for the New York Giants’ Week 17 matchup against the Washington Redskins.
Eli Manning will start the final game of the New York Giants season on Sunday and possibly the final game of his Giants’ career. However, rookie Davis Webb will be active for the first time in his young career, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Another turn in the QB roller coaster of the #Giants: They plan on deactivating Geno Smith this week, as rookie Davis Webb will be the backup. This opens up the possibility that Webb will get snaps, as Smith did earlier.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2017
The Giants would later confirm this on their official Twitter account.
Spags: Davis Webb will be the No. 2 quarterback this Sunday. #NYGiants
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 27, 2017
The team has been getting Webb more involved in practice recently, including giving him reps in practice with the starting offense.
The Giants drafted Webb in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, hoping that he could become the future successor to Manning while they competed for a Super Bowl this season. That hasn’t gone according to plan, however, with the team only winning two games.
They are currently in a position to finish with the second overall pick in next year’s draft, and they can finish with no lower than the third pick. The Cleveland Browns are guaranteed the first pick, and either the Giants or the Indianapolis Colts will get the second pick. The Colts have Andrew Luck, and thus are unlikely to draft a quarterback with the second pick.
The Giants are therefore in a prime position to draft one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft, which could allow them to trade Webb. The team could also choose to trade out of the pick or draft a player at another position of need.
There is no guarantee that Webb will play this week, as he will probably only enter the game should it be out of hand or if Manning gets injured. However, this could be an opportunity for the team to evaluate Webb’s growth over the season, as the last time they saw him in game action was in the preseason.
The team announced another roster move Wednesday, putting linebacker B.J. Goodson on injured reserve.
#NYGiants place LB B.J. Goodson on IR, sign WR Marquis Bundy off the practice squad.
DETAILS: https://t.co/XxszOFI4ee pic.twitter.com/arPYkv3w5n
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 27, 2017
Goodson was in line to be the starting middle linebacker this season, but injuries limited him to just seven games. He was productive when he played, however, collecting 53 tackles and forcing a fumble.
Wide receiver Marquis Bundy has been signed off the practice squad to take his place on the roster. He has never appeared in an NFL game. Bundy was an undrafted free agent last season, spending most of the season on the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals.
Bundy was with the Giants in training camp before being cut after the preseason ended. He has spent the entire season on the practice squad.
