The Davis Webb Era for the Giants is finally here — five years late and much different than once expected.
Webb is expected to make his first career start Sunday against the Eagles, multiple sources told The Post, as the Giants plan to rest quarterback Daniel Jones and several other key starters in a regular-season finale with nothing to gain. Head coach Brian Daboll, general manager Joe Schoen and assistant coaches finalized the plan Friday night on which starters to play and which to sit. Running back Saquon Barkley also is expected not to play.
The Dolphins tried to sign Webb off the Giants’ practice squad during the middle of this week, but he chose to stay put, according to NFL Network. Webb’s decision suggests he knew then that he would get a chance to play Sunday, and the Dolphins pivoted to signing former Giants quarterback Mike Glennon out of free agency.
It is an opportunity long in the making for Webb, who was a 2017 third-round draft pick cast as the heir apparent to Eli Manning. That plan went awry when general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo were fired and Webb was cut after one season to make room for the new regime’s preferred developmental option Kyle Lauletta.
Webb took a circuitous path back to the Giants that included three seasons as a third-stringer mastering then-offensive coordinator Daboll’s playbook with the Bills. He passed on an offer to become the Bills quarterbacks coach last offseason and instead followed Daboll to the Giants, where he has backed up Jones and Tyrod Taylor from the practice squad.
The Giants elevated Webb from the practice squad for the third time this season — that’s the maximum allowed for each player — and will start him rather than turn to the veteran Taylor, who has 53 career starts. Webb has appeared in one regular-season career game without throwing a pass, but he showed a mastery of Daboll’s offense during the preseason when he completed 74.1 percent of his passes for 457 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions to compile a 99.7 rating.
“Getting the ball out of his hands, really taking control of the offense, he has such a great demeanor in the huddle, he has a great command of the offense,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said this week, “I think those are some of his biggest attributes, for sure.”
The Giants are locked in as the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Eagles, who are expected to get back starting quarterback Jalen Hurts after the MVP candidate missed the past two games, need a win to clinch the NFC East, No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. If the Giants win, the Cowboys could win the division by beating the Commanders and both the Cowboys and the 49ers would have a crack at stealing the No. 1 seed.