Kyle Lauletta has been one of the more talked about backup quarterbacks this season, but not always for the right reasons. Lauletta has been in the conversation not because of out performing the current starter, but because it looks like New York Giants legend Eli Manning is on the decline and could be playing his last season as the team’s number one quarterback. With a quarterback competition likely to start in 2019, there’s a lot of pressure on Lauletta as the backup QB that’s already on the roster.
But it looks more and more like the Giants will definitely go to the draft to acquire new talent at the position, instead of trusting in their 2018 fourth round draft pick. It was always a longshot for Lauletta to start, but the rookie didn’t help himself with a poor performance in his only regular season appearance, which saw him throw no completions and one interception. One game later, against Tennessee, Lauletta was left off the active roster.
Things are different now, however. The Giants aren’t in the race for the playoffs, having been mathematically eliminated with their 17-0 loss to the Titans. With this in mind, should they start Lauletta for the remaining two games of the year?
Despite the awful debut, it’s important to see what the team has on their hands with Lauletta. If Lauletta plays badly against the Colts and Cowboys, for example, it could spell an early end to his run as even a fringe contender for the starting job. A couple of really good performances, on the other hand, could show Giants management that drafting a quarterback high in the draft isn’t necessarily required.
It would take a lot to convince anyone of that, though. It’s unlikely, statistically, that Lauletta has a turnaround during the last two games of the season if given a chance, and amazes the coaches with a overachieving performance. But similar things have happened in the past and it’s impossible to know if Lauletta is that kind of player without a proper sample size. After all, the rookie only has five pass attempts for the entire regular season.
This would come at a price. If Lauletta doesn’t have a miracle turnaround, it would lower the team’s chances of winning. This could be either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. While many will say that the Giants should try to win at all costs, a compelling argument can also be made that losing the last two games of the season would benefit them in the future by giving them a better pick in the draft.
If the season was over right now, the Giants would finish with the 8th overall pick. That position could get better or it could worsen depending on what happens through the last two games, but from a purely pragmatic standpoint, starting Lauletta would increase their chances of a higher pick. That’s not the only reason or even the main reason that the Giants should consider this, however. The chance of a higher pick is an extra bonus, while the main appeal is the chance to evaluate the current backup quarterback and see if Lauletta will seriously compete for a role next season or not.
Don’t count on the Giants actually starting Lauletta in the Indianapolis and Dallas games, though. He was left off the active roster for the Titans loss, something that doesn’t spell good things at all for his chances of getting playing time in the future.