Art Stapleton | NorthJersey

Art Stapleton/NorthJersey.com

AP FILE PHOTO

EAST RUTHERFORD — Davis Webb will be active for the first time this season Sunday against the Washington Redskins, serving as the No. 2 quarterback behind Eli Manning.

Whether the rookie quarterback for the New York Giants actually plays in the game remains to be seen.

Giants interim coach Steve Spagnuolo confirmed the change in the quarterback depth chart for the Giants’ season finale against the Redskins at MetLife Stadium, but would not commit to predetermined playing time for Webb.

"I've been working all year as if I was going to actually play, so nothing really changes," Webb said Wednesday. "Again, I've said before in this environment, I go into every single week on Sundays about 30 minutes before game time thinking I'm gonna be the guy. So it doesn't really affect me at all ... I am excited about [being in uniform].

"It's never easy to work so hard and then, at the last second, not get a jersey this week, but again, I don't let it affect me."

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

For 15 weeks, the 23-year-old Webb has arrived at the stadium, gone to the locker room and not seen his No. 5 jersey hanging there on game day. Those on the inactive list are not in uniform for the game.

For 15 games, the Giants' third-round pick has done his pregame work with Giants quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti and a group of practice squad players and equipment staffers as his receivers. By the time the game begins, Webb takes to the sideline to chart plays, not execute them.

The Giants have the No. 2 pick right now, and they can clinch that two ways Sunday: either with a loss to Washington or a victory by Indianapolis over Houston.

Now-fired head coach Ben McAdoo and team brass botched what turned out to be the end of Manning's 210-game streak; things should have never come down that way, and ownership should have intervened, convincing Manning that they were not casting him aside for Geno Smith, but taking continued steps toward assessing the position for 2018.

The organization's plan to get a true evaluation of the quarterbacks on the roster - Webb's the guy they've been grooming, at least in theory, and not Smith - was a smart call with the bigger picture in mind. Now they've got one game left, and Webb will at least be eligible to play, but there are no promises that he will.

"Davis Webb will be the second quarterback going into this game. Having said that, that’s no reflection on Geno [Smith]," Spagnuolo said. "Last week I told you all that we were going to try to get Davis Webb ready in case we could get him in the game. There’s no guarantees that we will get him in the game, but he will be the No. 2 on Sunday."

Where does Webb stand moving forward? It's an important question the Giants will need to answer as they turn their attention to this offseason with searches for a new general manager and new head coach followed by what right now is a Top 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft in April.

The right move was always to have Manning hand the baton to Webb, at least initially, and then depending on the latter's audition, potentially UCLA's Josh Rosen or USC's Sam Darnold, perhaps Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield or Louisville's Lamar Jackson, maybe even Wyoming's Josh Allen.

Webb might not get the on-field chance to convince the Giants he deserves the shot to be Manning's successor, not anyone else, especially since at least two of the people that will be making those decisions are likely not even in those roles yet.

Asked if he believes he has done enough to this point, Webb said: "That’s a question you have to ask someone higher up. I can’t answer that. But I do feel like I’ve done everything I can possibly do to be a good teammate and I’m going to continue to grow as a quarterback in this league."

Giants rookie tight Evan Engram is Webb's roommate on road trips and his closest friend on the team. While Engram has played 15 games, emerging as one of the NFL's top rookies, he acknowledged Wednesday that he's learned plenty by watching Webb continue to work as he waits for the opportunity to play.