As camp begins, now is the time for Russell Wilson to prove if the Giants were right to sign him

Russell Wilson knows how to be a great house guest. You arrive smoothly and make every effort to meet your neighbors.

The Giants quarterback hosted multiple throwing sessions with his teammates and treated more to dinner in June. Add in attending Knicks playoffs games, Yankee games and doing Carmelo Anthony’s “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast. Wilson’s settled in well with the Giants opening training camp Wednesday.

Now is the time to prove if the Giants were right to invite him in by signing him last spring. Wilson’s done all the right things taking first-team reps. He’s impressed teammates with his leadership style of being personable and positive. His patented deep ball was on display during OTAs as teammates complimented how well he throws.

Now, training camp is the first step to see how long Wilson keeps his prized seat in the Giants house. Have they signed a potential Hall of Famer who still has something left in his tank? Or have they added an aging Hall of Famer whose struggles the last three seasons will reappear under brighter lights?

There’s evidence to assume the latter, starting with losing his last four regular games with the Steelers and averaging just 174.5 passing yards in that stretch with only four touchdowns. Still, Wilson hasn’t wavered believing who he is.

“I think you're always just trying to prove yourself right,” Wilson said in June. “I know what I'm capable of every day. I never lack confidence.”

The Giants hope so but drafting Jaxson Dart in the first round says otherwise. It’s one thing to believe Wilson raises the team’s floor after they started seven quarterbacks the last two seasons.

It’s another to know there’s a short window for that given Wilson’s age (36) entering his 14th season. He’s still known for taking sacks - his 560 sacks are fourth most in NFL history. His athleticism has waned and his 6-1 start with the Steelers became a distant memory.

So how good is Wilson? We’ll find out but the Giants need him to be more than decent to avoid throwing Dart into the fire right away.

Dart took some second-team reps during OTAs along with Jameis Winston. He was fine with short-to-mid range throws and at times, he scrambled to avoid pressure that could’ve been sacks. It was good to see his mobility but some of those escapes resembled a young quarterback waiting too long to throw.

He admitted being overwhelmed by having so much thrown at him and needs room to struggle. To his credit, he welcomed it as part of the process learning from good or bad decisions.

“You can ask the best to ever do it, what was their biggest reason of how they're able to improve and develop,” Dart said. “Making mistakes and being able to watch it, look back on it, and have a lot of humility in your mistakes.”

Maybe Dart plays this season to get his feet wet. If he takes meaningful snaps, it means something went wrong with Wilson and/or Winston. The Giants are banking against that but it’s a plausible scenario, especially since Wilson missed six games last season due to injury.

It just adds to the tenuous nature of Wilson’s arrival. He’s an honored guest with an impressive resume. He’s still good enough to start games. Yet can he prove himself an above average starter at this stage in his career and allow Dart to slowly develop?

The answers come starting Wednesday and through the season opener on Sept. 7 at the Commanders. Wilson’s said and done everything to be welcomed and support his new teammates.

Now his play will determine if that’s still the case. Either he’s the right fix after the Giants won just three games last year or his struggles grow and the bridge to Dart gets a lot shorter.

Time will tell but it’s the fate Wilson signed up for in the Giants’ home. It’s up to him to decide if this New York welcome leads to something worthwhile or calls will come for him to move out for a new, younger option.

Giants sign safety Wallace

The Giants added more safety depth by signing K’Von Wallace on Tuesday. A fourth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2020, Wallace played nine games as a reserve with the Seahawks last season. He’s on his fourth team in three seasons after stints with the Cardinals and Titans in 2023.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.