Ceding starting gig to McCarthy

Winston is in line to serve as the Giants' backup quarterback Sunday against the Texans with the team planning to move forward with J.J. McCarthy as its starter in Week 7, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

After Jaxson Dart (knee) went down with a likely season-ending injury in a Week 2 loss to the Rams, Winston stepped in as the starter for the subsequent four games. Though Winston led the Giants to a respectable 2-1-1 record while completing 60.3 percent of his passes for 6.5 yards per attempt and a 7:4 TD:INT during that stretch, he had a rough showing in this past Sunday's 34-27 loss to the Saints before being pulled early in the fourth quarter. McCarthy proceeded to take over under center and nearly guided the Giants all the way back from a 24-point deficit, so he'll be rewarded with the starting nod for at least Week 7. Given that the 23-year-old McCarthy is a recent first-round pick who could have a longer-term future in New York or represent an appealing trade chip down the road, it wouldn't be surprising if he was given a long leash as the team's starter.